Equinox
by WanderForever
Summary: Thomas the half vampire comes to Forks tracking the vampires that killed his family and encounters the Cullen family. Meeting them changes his plans though. They show him there is a different way to live.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my very first Fan fiction. So please review and let me know what you think.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.  
**

Chapter 1

Ending

I really wanted to be done with high school. I'd already been through it four times. All thanks to the need for secrecy when you were a vampire or the half vampire, half human child of vampires. Our eventual moves were necessary as no one who lived in my house aged. If we stayed in any place too long we might get noticed and that was bad. We were living in little town in a remote part of Oregon and I was finishing my last year of high school. I was already smarter than any of the teachers and I had to be careful of tests answering a few incorrectly on purpose just to stay under the radar of my teachers I was glad that today was my last day of tests and I would get my fifth high school diploma.

I planned on maybe going to college again and studying Photography or maybe engineering or if I wanted to really show off I could do both but I was really feeling engineering, I loved to take things apart and put them back together. I especially loved to tune my motorcycle which I rode everyday from our home on the outskirts of town. I could not wait to leave. I'd been done with my last test for an hour but I sat there appearing to work on it so no one got suspicious of me when I finished in ten minutes. A few people were getting up to take their tests to the proctors. After I was in the hall following the other students who had completed their tests a familiar voice made me turn.

"Hey Tommy," came the excited call of Kelly, girl I knew from the classes we had together. She was one of the few people who could get away with calling me 'Tommy'. I liked Kelly. She was a good person, good enough to sit with the semi-creepy new kid in school. She came to a stop in front of me and continued to bob up and down as she stood there. I was amazed how she could not stand still, never could now that I thought about it.

"Hey Kelly," I responded. She was cute too in a little sister kind of way. Her head was just about at my shoulder and she had short brown hair I'd never seen grow past her shoulders. Her hazel eyes were always lit with a smile for me and anyone else she looked at. You could say she was a people person.

I caught a look of jealousy in the other girls' eyes as they passed us. They didn't believe that Kelly was only my friend and nothing more. So she was the only one I said more than five words at a time. All the other girls were jealous of Kelly because in their shallow minds one of the hottest guys in school wouldn't give them the time of day. They failed to realize it was the fact they couldn't see past my looks. I guess they were right. I stood over six feet tall and was muscular, and athletic looking though I avoided the school teams. I had a complexion that spoke to my mother's Irish heritage. Deep reddish brown hair and blue eyes capped off the package. Apparently this made it difficult for females other than Kelly to see me as more than a pretty face.

"Are you listening to me," Kelly asked waving a hand in my face. I'd gotten lost in thought again. I was easily distracted at times.

"Sorry daydreaming again." She rolled her eyes at me like she always did.

"You have your head in the clouds too much," she chided "Are you coming to my Graduation party?" She had to ask me that. I felt bad that I wouldn't be coming to her party.

"I'm sorry," I apologized "my parents are taking me to Alaska for a cruise." I hated lying to my friend, but my parents knew I'd wanted to see Alaska for a long time, it being the only state I had never seen.

"That's cool," she said. She knew how much I wanted to go. She smiled at me she was just too accepting sometimes. I felt like a jerk for not being at her party. She really was a good friend and I promised to try and keep in touch while I was at school. I would try to do just that but I didn't make a solid promise to keep in touch.

"I'll catch you later," I said as a farewell. I wouldn't be at graduation either, I hadn't gone to the last three and I saw no reason to break my habit now. The sky was overcast like usual and I walked to my motorcycle sitting there in the parking lot. I kicked it to life after dawning my helmet. I planned on going as fast as I could when hit the road, but unfortunately not all the students had my coordination or desire for speed. My bike thrummed under me as we waited in line patiently. As soon as my turn came I rocketed forward bringing my bike to over its normal top speed. Thanks to my mechanical prowess and affinity for motorcycle engines I could push the bike up to 300 miles an hour, fifty miles over the maximum speed.

The wind pulled at my clothes and hair as I flew over the road on my motorcycle. School was finished and I couldn't wait to get home to see my parents. My parents were great they let me do what I wanted within reason and always trusted my judgment. It helped I never did anything that would give them a reason not to trust me. I loved them very much. They usually got me something great when I graduated. I was riding last graduation's gift home. Mom probably had something special cooking for me. Mother was the best cook even though she couldn't taste it anymore. Being able to eat human food made it easy to blend in for me though I did drink blood regularly. I toyed with the idea of a quick hunt before heading home.

I dismissed it as I came to the turn off for my home. We lived in a large house well off the main road and I slowed just a bit as I rode up it to the garage which was an old barn that I had helped my parents rebuild to house our vehicles. The barn came into sight as I rounded a bend. The smell hit me like a freight train as I approached. I stopped and dropped the kick stand, dismounting slowly. I smelled my parents but I caught more scents unfamiliar to me. Caution crept through me as I stalked to the edge of the barn so I could see the house. Standing there were about twelve vampires. They were all standing around pillar of smoke that had a sickening purple color. Bile filled my mouth and I had to swallow in order not to vomit loudly and draw their attention. I listened waiting for the confirmation of my fear. The apparent leader gave it as if hearing my thoughts.

"They were given the choice," he said as if to placate the assembled vampires though none of them seemed disturbed by the smoke rising into the sky. The speaker was for lack of a better description average. He wasn't tall, his features while angular like most vampires were bland. Even his blood red eyes weren't very striking because of their shape. In fact the only unusual feature he had was his bald head.

"Caleb there is no sign of the third inhabitant," the largest vampire I had ever seen called as he exited my house. Anger flared in me at the giant's violation of my home. The giant had short cropped black hair and an olive complexion. He was definitely more impressive than the average looking Caleb. He must be the leader.

"We can't stay and wait Goliath," Caleb said to the mountainous vampire.

"As you will my master." That made not a bit of sense why would a clearly stronger vampire ever defer to the average looking Caleb. There must be more to him than there appeared at first glance. In fact all the others seemed to defer to Caleb.

"Lucian, Daemon wait here," he began "if he returns kill him and follow the rest of us." A trap was it well they were going to get a surprise from me. All but the two the leader had indicated, swept away like a pack of wolves into the trees behind my house. Daemon and Lucian watched them go. They continued to stand there and look towards the direction their coven had gone.

After what seemed like hours I moved to the small side door in the barn and entered making no sound. At this moment the events caught up to me and ifelt like a different being. My mouth was pressed into a line and I could feel my eyes blazing with what must look like blue fire. Plans began to form in my head and my rational thoughts grew more disgusted. Those thoughts disappeared as I heard them joking about how they had killed my family. Rage burned me up and all subtlety left me as the side of the barn exploded outwards in front of me.

"What the…" was all Lucian got out before his head literally exploded into pieces. I realized I was the one doing it all. I filed that away for later examination as I turned my attention to the stunned Daemon. He tried to lunge to his side and found he could not move. My doing again, he struggled in vain as he tried to move. Fear began to paint his features as I got closer. He squirmed like a worm held in birds clutches.

"Why," I asked in a different person's voice. My voice had always been smooth and subtle. This voice brutal and harsh, an animal's voice. His feet came off the ground and he floated towards me.

"Why, what," he whimpered. His whimper became a howl as his arm fell from his shoulder. Pain made him realize what I meant by why.

"He told us they were a threat to the coven," he managed to scream. How were we a threat to his coven? My family was peaceful and kept to themselves. Then Daemon said the worst thing he could have.

"They were just vampires." He cringed when my eyes burned into his. His body fell into a pile of limbs and torso.

"They were my family you bastard." I piled both bodies and set fire to them. I stepped around the pyre and walked into my home. Three steps over the threshold and I collapsed into a heap. Everything went black as I passed out from exhaustion and stress.


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed and read my first Fanfiction. Keep reading and reviewing.**_

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Twilight.  
**_

Chapter 2

Hunter

The breeze tickled the skin of my cheek making me stir. Confusion at why I was on the floor lasted only long enough for the events up to unconsciousness to rush back to me. My feet were under me in a crouch that same instant. My senses detected nothing threatening nearby. Relaxing as I stood my full height I scanned the foyer and main room of the house. My home used to feel open and inviting, now it felt empty and depressing. The feeling brought anger, not the rage at hearing the two vampires talk casually at killing my family, anger at the destruction of my home. The one place I could feel safe was gone. Hate followed quickly on the heels of anger and for the same reasons.

I hated them and the thought of them roaming around without a care sickened me. I made up my mind right there that I would see them all dead. I flew up to the second floor where my room was situated. I grabbed a backpack that had a chest and belt strap so it wouldn't shift as I rode my motorcycle. I grabbed enough changes of clothes to last a few days and went to my small desk and turned on my computer. I went into my father's online bank account and transferred eighty percent of that money into my account with the same bank and I donated the rest to various charities. That left me with enough money to live for ten life times but I really didn't expect to live that long, not with what I was planning. I finished gathering need items, cell phone, multi-tool, lighter and other things of that nature. I walked out of the front door closing it behind me and locking it.

I strode to the barn. The hole was not the whole side like I had thought before I had only taken of a large sliding door on the side. I walked through and stopped when I saw a blue tarp covering what looked vaguely bike shaped. A folded piece of paper was taped there. I took it and read the words written inside the folded sheet. Happy graduation, we love you. It was signed Mom and Dad.

Tears welled up in my eyes and I reached a shaking hand over to the blue plastic and jerked it away in as fluid a motion as I could manage. Underneath was the most beautiful motorcycle I had ever seen. A green and black Ducati Streetfighter S sat there. I had been looking at them online for a few months toying with buying one. I couldn't make myself though I still had an excellent bike that my parents had gotten me. They must have done some snooping to find out I was looking and decided to get me one. I ran my hand along the length of it enjoying the feel. I went to collect my old motorcycle. The Ducati fitted my mood perfectly as it looked like an angry predator. I stowed my old bike at the back of the barn and gassed up the Ducati from some of the canisters of gas we kept on hand for emergencies.

I walked my new ride out the front door of the barn after opening the door and closing it when I was clear. I left it on its kickstand and moved over to the front of the house. I stood there taking in all the scents left by the vampires who had departed. Now that I had what I wanted, I walked back to my new motorcycle and kicked it to life. It purred like a hunting cat savoring the hunt. I found this fitting and a bitter smile crossed my face. I rode down the driveway and began my hunt.

--------------

The trail led me to Portland. The coven apparently split up and I was tracking two of them. They were bold, but just cautious enough to keep me at a distance. They knew they were being trailed. They think coming to this big city would keep them safe. If they had decided to stay in the nicer parts of the city they would have been right. I had forced them into the seedy underbelly not that they had anything to fear here, but the residents here didn't 'see' things like people who lived in the nicer parts. Also I had been depriving them of blood by not allowing them to feed. They were thirsty by now and they had just made their mistake. The one I had been waiting for them to make.

They were hunting a teenager I had paid to draw them where I wanted. I momentarily felt like a bastard. I didn't like having to use others to trap them, considering how it usually wound up for the bait. The movement of said bait brought me out of my contemplation. I looked behind the teen and saw the two vampires following and keeping to the shadows. That was something that kept them out of sight of their quarry. It did nothing to deter my superior vision and hearing. When I saw them I nearly leaped from my hiding place on the side of this building. That was the animal from that first confrontation. He had no concept of caution all he saw was target and he wanted to rip and tear. My rational mind pushed him back like an over eager hunting dog. I needed one of them alive long enough for information gathering.

They stepped to just under my hiding spot. I prepared to stop their movement like I had that first time. I still was unsure how I did all that the first time. Now all I could do was stop and hold them. Useful but I couldn't maintain it without passing out after about five minutes. Hopefully they would be quickly forthcoming with answers. They stopped as I let go and plummeted to the alley floor. I landed crouching to absorb some of the shock of the landing. I locked them both in place and sprang at the one on the left. She was medium height and slight of frame, her blond hair trailed down her back. Her nearly black eyes widened in shock as I broke her spine at the shoulders. I set her aside and repeated the move with her black haired companion. I set them side by side against the building on the left side of the alley. I'd released whatever was holding them, as soon as I had incapacitated them. I kept ready though just in case, vampires healed quickly.

"Okay one of you gets to leave this alley tonight," I said in a calm and smooth voice. They stared at me dumbfounded. One of them found their voice after moment though.

"What are you," the blonde female asked. I fixed her in a stare that seemed to make her regret asking the question.

"Where did Caleb go," I asked as if she had not asked a question. They continued to stare at me. They apparently needed more incentive to talk to me. I tore the male's arms off, internally cringing at the sound. The male shrieked I took his head next. I turned just in time to catch the female as she lunged sinking her teeth into my shoulder.

I cried out as we tumbled. She released my shoulder and went for my neck. The animal leaped forward to take control of the situation. My hand grabbed her by the throat and tossed her off. She landed and crouched ready to continue. I was up and in a crouch of my own. Her leap brought her to me as I punched out connecting with her solar plexus crushing it inward and snapping most of her ribs.

She crumpled and looked up at me. Terror was clear in her eyes I should be writhing on the ground from her venomous bite. To see me standing over her not even flinching made her loose all her nerve.

"He's heading to Washington, to some place called Forks," she squealed in an attempt to keep me from finishing her off. She was about to offer more, but I cut her off by decapitating her. So Forks was where I was headed. Good now I had a destination.

I tossed the vampires into a dumpster along with some lighter fluid and a lit book of matches. I strode out of the alley absently rubbing at my injured shoulder. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off it was starting to burn. I wasn't worried I was venomous too so it was very unlikely that it would to more than burn for a few days, I could ignore that pain.

My motorcycle was right where I had left it in an abandoned garage. I walked it out and mounted up. The hunt continued as I rode at the bikes top speed towards my new goal.


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: So here is chapter 3. I decided to use some different points of view to help the story along.**_

_**Hope you guys enjoy. Read and review so I know if i need to make improvements in future chapters.**_

_**Thanks**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.  
**_

Chapter 3

Hunted

I made it to Seattle in a few days. I did not like that I had to stop to sleep. It was one of the many annoying things that came from my human heritage. My stomach grumbled as I rode my motorcycle through the streets of Seattle. That was another thing I needed to eat regularly. That was more my enhanced metabolism. I could survive on blood and normal food, I preferred blood it satisfied me more fully. I did however enjoy certain foods meat being one of them. I especially enjoyed it when it was cooked to a medium rare. The growling in my stomach grew louder at the thought of medium rare steak.

A giant neon sign of a bar and grill caught my eye. I turned my bike into the parking lot and killed the engine. Some of the people in the parking lot stared at me. I kept my self neatly groomed, it helped my interactions with humans. One woman did a double take as I walked by her. A smile spread across my face. I didn't see the appeal I had. Her date didn't either because I could feel his eyes on my back. I'm pretty sure the look I was getting should have set me on fire.

Ignoring the look I walked in the main entrance of the restaurant. The hostess looked up and her jaw dropped at the sight of me. I had to bite back a laugh. She quickly composed herself. She was attractive, tanned skin and blond hair. Her hazel eyes looked me up and down. She took a deep breath that did good things for her chest under a black v-neck shirt.

"Welcome to McHale's, my name is Carissa," she greeted me smiling "table for one?" I could hear the hope in her voice.

"Yes thank you," I answered returning her smile. I heard her heart beat faster at my smile. It never ceased to amaze me when women looked at me like I was a movie star or model or something like that.

"Right this way." She grabbed a menu and some silverware wrapped in a napkin and led me to a table in the middle of the dining room.

"Could I get a booth instead," I asked touching the back of her arm she shivered at my touch.

"Certainly," she breathed. The booth she took me to was towards the back of the restaurant.

"Your server will be right over," she said smiling at me. She hurried away towards the kitchen instead of to the hostess station. I shook my head feeling sorry for the poor girl.

I rubbed absently at my shoulder where the vampire had bitten me not long ago. It burned still but it was not as bad as it had been after the adrenaline had worn off. I had nearly dumped my motorcycle because of the pain thankfully I had made it to a rest stop/picnic area. I's parked and stumbled into the trees surrounding the area and collapsed, writhing in agony for hours. Thank fully it had lessened as time passed. I'd checked the wound in the restroom there. It was definitely going to leave a scar.

"Hi my name is Tara," my server said pulling me from my memories. She was attractive too. Her slim figure was accentuated by her fitted black shirt and pants. She also had auburn hair, blue eyes and cream colored skin. I gave her my best smile. Her heart had the same reaction as the hostess's. This brought another smile to my face.

"Can I start you out with a drink," she asked after getting her heart rate under control.

"Beer," I said handing her my driver's license. I was glad I had thought to get a new one that said I was twenty one. She barely glanced at it before handing it back.

"Need a minute with the menu," she inquired. I nodded and she left to get my drink. I scrutinized the menu dismissing the appetizers. I eventually settled on the sirloin with fries as she arrived. I relayed my order and took a sip of my beer as she left. The rest of the meal passed uneventfully Tara stopping more than was necessary to make sure I didn't want for anything.

"Can I get you some dessert," I caught the double meaning behind her question and grinned at her, enjoying the way her heart skipped a beat. This girl reminded me of Kelly for some reason. I stiffened when the smell of vampire hit my nose.

"Just the check please," I said as calmly as I could manage. Where the hell had the vampire come from, great just what I needed. I hadn't fed on blood in a few days so I was no match for a vampire. Tara returned with my bill and I placed a fifty in the little black folder and handed it back to her.

"Keep the change," I said as I stood putting my jacket and backpack on. I had the jacket zipped and the buckles to my bag clipped in place as I walked out the door. Thankfully the lot was empty and I bolted faster than any human could to my Ducati, jumping on and kicking it to life. I rocketed down the road speed limits be damned. I did not know how I had gone from hunter to hunted, but I had.

The dark road blurred by underneath me as I road towards Forks. Hopefully I could make it there and lose my pursuers. I didn't believe that though I had a feeling that I was a dead man no matter where I was.

-----------

Edward

I loved to hunt with my brothers. Jasper and Emmett though not related to me by blood were as close to brothers as ones born to the same mother. We had decided to go to one of our favorite spots for the weekend. We were still close to home but far enough away that large predators were a definite possibility. I wished my Bella had decided to come with us, but she insisted I needed time with my brothers alone. It still hurt me to leave her though now she was quite capable of taking care of herself.

_That is strange. _I heard Jasper say in his thoughts. I caught his meaning as I heard more thoughts not far away. _How the hell could I have been so stupid?_ I was unfamiliar with the mind speaking the thought.

_We have you now you little bastard. _ I cringed at the different, more vulgar mind. I saw Jasper look towards the left he was clearly feeling emotions coming from that direction and for the expression on his face they were pain and terror.

"Jazz, Ed what's up," Emmett asked seeing our confused looks and following our gazes. The sounds of fighting drifted towards us. This was not two humans fighting this was definitely vampires. The mind of the one I had first heard was fighting hard but he was out numbered and being beaten badly.

I didn't bother to answer as I dashed towards the chaos I was hearing, Emmett and Jasper on my heels. We ran through the trees. I was sickened by the glee in the minds of the unknown attackers.

"Stop this," I roared as I caught sight of the fighting. They were definitely vampires, their pale skin and red eyes marking them as 'non vegetarians'. They turned away from their victim. They were big, almost as big as Emmett and their thoughts were amused at my command. Amusement disappeared from their thoughts and faces as Emmet and Jasper came into view on my flanks.

"Oh good I was bored silly," Emmett said as he came in on my left, "I'll take the ugly one."

"Guess that means you get both," Jasper mused on my right. A groan came from the bloody man I saw laying not far behind them. Confusion ran through their minds not sure how to proceed.

"I suggest you leave," I said coldly. They took my suggestion and bolted in different directions. I was beside their victim in seconds. He appeared tall even though he was prone. Blood matted his reddish hair. I realized he was a hybrid like my daughter and I began to check his injuries gently. He opened blue eyes for a brief second and he shifted trying to get away from me.

"Don't be afraid," I soothed "I'm here to help you." I cringed internally as I examined his injuries. He had been bitten at least a dozen times. His right shoulder was dislocated and his left leg had a nasty compound fracture. I could see the bone pushing out through his pant leg.

"Jasper get me something to splint his leg with," I commanded. Thankfully I had studied medicine and knew first aid and more. His other wounds were not too serious, though I worried the venom was going to hinder his recuperation.

"Emmett, give me your shirt." He handed it over. _Wow they did a number on this guy. _I snatched the offered shirt ignoring my brother's shirt. Jasper was returning holding to long branches in one hand and talking to Carlisle on his cell phone. He handed me the branches as he hung up the phone.

"Carlisle says to bring him right to the house," he said as I prepared to set the bone so I could splint his leg.

"Em, hold him down," I said. Emmett obediently placed his massive hands gently on the man's shoulders. I took a steadying breath. He screamed and his eyes bulged as his bone went back into position. I quickly splinted his leg. I used what was left of Emmett's shirt to wipe some of the blood away.

"Alright we need to get him to Carlisle." Emmett and picked him up gently not wanting to cause him further pain by jostling his injured limbs. We ran back to Emmett's jeep. Emmett placed him in the back after dropping the seats to make it more comfortable and then jumped into the driver's seat. I crouched near the injured man as Jasper took the passenger seat.

We flew down the road as fast as the jeep would go. The stranger groaned occasionally but did not regain consciousness. I breathed easier as we came to the turn off to our house. I was going back over the thoughts I'd heard from his attackers. Hopefully he could enlighten us when he recovered.


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: This chapter is the longest one I've done so far. I'm really happy with the way it turned out.**_

_**Read and review, I need to know what my readers think so I can make improvements. Thanks to all the people who reviewed so far.**_

_**Okay enough rambling.**_

_**Disclaimer: Don't own Twilight.  
**_

Chapter 4

Rescued

_Edward_

Carlisle worked feverishly over the unconscious man. He managed to suck most of the venom form the bites and this eased some of the pain. _He healing very quickly, but that fracture to his skull worries me. _Carlisle thought as he worked. Bella stood beside me her arm around my waist. I wrapped my arm around her slim shoulders and breathed in her scent.

"He'll be alright," I said trying to soothe her worries. Esme stood on the opposite side of the medical bed in Carlisle's study. Her thoughts were full of maternal concern. Esme had to be the most loving being on the face of the planet and I was thankful she was my mother.

Everyone else in the family was assembled in the living room waiting to hear how our guest was going to be. I felt the worry and questions in their thoughts and was having worries of my own.

The thoughts of the vampire attackers had worried they had let something slip. I feared the worst. I tightened my hold on Bella and wished Renesme was close enough to wrap in a hug. I was afraid our peace we'd had for so long was coming to an end.

"There doesn't appear to be any permanent damage," Carlisle said standing straight. He walked over and put a hand on my shoulder. He looked optimistic at the man's chances. He had hooked him up to some monitors though just in case. He continued out of the room and went downstairs to give the good news to the rest of the family. I smiled at Bella and we turned to follow Carlisle down to the join the discussion that we needed to have.

Everyone was situated around the table by their partners. Carlisle took his usual seat at the head of the table. We were all wondering what to do now. Carlisle broke the silence and answered our question.

"I think we should continue as normal," he began "though we should be more cautious about hunting." We all nodded this appearance of the stranger and his attackers did not feel random to any of us. He looked over at Jacob Black sitting by Renesme.

"Can you ask the pack to be on their guard for strangers," Jacob nodded agreeing with the sentiment. It still amazed me how strong our bond with the Quileute had become. They no longer saw us as enemies but family, despite our being vampires. All of it thanks to the beautiful miracle sitting next to him. Nessie smiled at me and Bella.

"I'll take some time from the hospital until our guest regains consciousness," again I agreed. It would be terrifying enough for him to wake up after what he suffered but it would be magnified when he was in strange place.

"Maybe one of us should stay home too," Emmett offered. His thoughts said that he was worried, ever the protector. Carlisle shook his head though not wanting Emmett to frighten our guest.

"No we need to keep up our routine as much as possible." Again I agreed with Carlisle.

"I'll have one of the pack keep close by in case," Jacob offered also not wanting anything bad to happen. It seemed everything was settled then and everyone went about their business. Rose and Emmett left to their house they had built not far away. An extravagant building but it fit Rosalie and Emmett perfectly. Jasper and Alice went to their room. I moved to where Bella was sitting with Nessie and Jacob.

"Bella we should let Ness and Jacob get home," I hated to take time away from our daughter from Bella. I hated to not give anything to Bella for that matter.

"Yeah I have a big day at school tomorrow," Nessie stated. Renesme had gotten her teaching license and taught at La Push's elementary school. Her gift for explaining things had made her a natural teacher. I swelled with pride that my daughter had found something she enjoyed so much. She got up to leave hugging her mother and I. Jacob gave Bella one of his crushing hugs and shook my hand. Despite our history I had come to care for Jacob. I respected how well he took care of Nessie and brought so much joy to her life. I watched as they left through the kitchen door.

"Shall we go home," I asked. Bella smiled at me and again my still heart surged with love for this beautiful creature that was mine.

"Race you," she challenged as she dashed out the door and I shook my head as I ran out right behind her. I desperately hoped that everything would work out for the best. Mentally I prepared for the worst though.

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_Thomas_

The soft regular beeping brought me back to the world. The events up to the point the attack flooded back and I sat up quickly. The room I was in was unfamiliar to me the bed I was sitting on was huge and comfortable the walls however were devoid of any pictures. I could smell vampires. It wasn't the ones who had attacked me or my family's killers so I relaxed. Flashes of memories of pain passed through me causing a sharp intake of breath. I looked myself over and saw new healing scars across my bare chest and arms. They were pale raised areas that reminded me of the burn of vampire venom. A shiver ran down my spine.

A soft knock at the door had me quietly slipping out of the bed. Someone had put cotton pajama bottoms on me. I crouched near the floor length window read to leap out of it should there be a need. A blond handsome vampire with kind golden eyes stuck his head in the room. The kind smile on his face seemed sincere.

"Don't be afraid," he said attempting to sooth my tension "you are safe here."

"Who are you," I demanded. He just smiled despite my rude behavior.

"My name is Dr. Carlisle Cullen and you are in my home." I looked around while trying not to take my eyes off of the vampire before me with his head in the door.

"May I come in?" I didn't feel any hostility from this vampire. So I relaxed from my crouch as he entered. He was dressed in a white and blue striped shirt with tan dress pants and a pale blue tie. He was tall like me and he had a kind face and demeanor. He definitely seemed like the doctor he claimed to be.

"How did I get here," I asked in a less severe tone. I tried to smile but the animal in me was still not trusting of this vampire who was clearly not a threat. I pushed him to the back of my mind and locked him there.

"My sons rescued you from an attack," he said bringing back the memories. There had been two of them and they had knocked me off the Ducati. I sat down heavily on the edge of the bed at the thought. The last thing my parents had given me was gone. One of the monsters had destroyed it while the other began to bite and strike me. Carlisle was at my side trying to catch my eyes which were filling with tears. He placed a cool comforting hand on my shoulder.

"Are you alright?" I wiped the tears away and nodded, not sure I could manage words. Thankfully my backpack sat in a corner a little battered but still there. I sighed in relief I did not want to have to replace the documents I needed.

"I'm fine," I said, "just realized something important was gone." He looked confused but I didn't want to share my thoughts on the subject. Carlisle seemed to sense this and did not press.

"Do you have a name?" I realized then that I had not introduced myself sooner and kicked myself mentally for my lapse in manners.

"My name is Thomas." He smiled at my answer and offered his hand. Standing I took his cool hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Thomas." I met his calm gaze and returned his smile. A beautiful woman with hair the color of caramel came into the room. She seemed softer than other vampires less angular. The maternal look I read in her eyes made my heart ache with the memory of my mother. She smiled as she greeted me.

"I'm Esme," she said offering me her hand. I took it and introduced myself.

"I'm Thomas." She smiled pleasantly at me as we shook hands.

"It is a great pleasure to meet you." I felt my cheeks warm and my ears burn at her greeting. I decided I liked these people they were kind even to a stranger.

"Thank you," my voice was thick as I thanked them. They just smiled warmly at me. My stomach took that moment to announce itself. I grinned sheepishly at the gurgling coming from my torso.

"Why don't you get cleaned up and I'll fix something to eat," Esme offered smiling. I walked over to my bag and cursed under my breath when I saw the large hole in the bottom. Perfect all my clothes were gone. Carlisle saw my frown and nodded toward the low dresser with clothing neatly folded and piled on top.

"Some of Jasper's things should fit you," he said smiling at my relief. So I wouldn't have to go naked that was good. I was again astounded by the generosity of these people. Carlisle showed me where the bathroom was and left me there. I entered the spacious room and stunned by how beautiful it looked. I went right to the shower and cleaned up. The hot water felt refreshing as it cascaded down my body relieving tension from my muscles.

After my shower I went back to the room I woke up in and tried to decide what to wear. I finally decided on a pair of jeans and a dark grey shirt. The smell of cooking food wafted up to me and my mouth began to water. This also brought on the burn in the back of my throat. I could live indefinitely without blood but I weakened if I didn't sate my thirst. That was why those two vampires had gotten the better of me. Another shiver at the thought of them ran up and down my back.

I followed the scent down the stairs into the kitchen. Esme stood at the stove and the smell of bacon and cheese made my stomach grumble. I took a seat at the island in the middle of the kitchen. Esme gave me another smile as she set an omelet on a plate in front of me. She also handed me a fork which I thanked her for and dug into my omelet.

"This is really good," I said with gratitude. I felt full but not satisfied, my throat still burned. Esme saw my look and asked what was wrong as Carlisle entered the kitchen.

"I'm thirsty," I began hesitantly "I haven't had blood for longer than normal and I feel weaker than normal." Carlisle nodded and went upstairs. He returned a moment later holding two bags filled with a red liquid. Blood. My throat burned at the sight. It felt like a fire was in my throat and I grimaced at the sensation. Carlisle emptied the contents of one of the pouches into a cup with a straw lid. He handed it to me and it took all my will to not snatch the offered cup and gulp it down. As it was I did take a long pull on the straw, reveling at the feeling of strength that filled my body. I drained the cup and instantly felt better. Carlisle refilled it when I handed it back to him. I drank the second cup more slowly enjoying the feeling of the blood in my throat. The burn subsided and I felt better.

Esme went to answer a knock at the door. I heard her warm greeting of someone called Leah. Curiosity pulled me to the main room. My jaw dropped when I saw the tall exotic beauty standing near Esme. She was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen and my heart ached again, but in a different way than when I thought of my parents.

She met my stare and her expression changed. Her eyes widened and her jaw went slack and we stood there looking at each other like we had never seen the other before, which in actuality we hadn't. Esme looked between us with a confused expression on her face. Well that made three confused people in the room.


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: Ok I felt like this was a little short but I thought it was a good place to end the chapter.**_

_**I originally had the Leah encounter go a little differently but after reading it i changed it to what you see hear.**_

_**Well I'll stop blathering and let you read. If you could review too that would make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.**_

_**Enjoy!  
**_

Chapter 5

Imprint

_Leah_

I was never going to be comfortable around the Cullens and guess where our pack's fearless leader had sent me, to play guard dog for them. Even though I cared about Nessie like family, her _other_ family made me nervous. It wasn't rational, I knew they were good. They treated everyone with respect and a kindness that was hard to ignore. My instincts however saw only predators. The wolf in me was hard to overrule sometimes.

I'd been trying for years to control my wolf nature enough to be able to quit. I'd had limited success. My changes almost always happened when I willed them to, which was to say whenever I had patrol. The little slips had made it impossible to attend college though. Nearly phasing in a room full of people because I didn't like the C my professor gave me, had left me with the internet course route. There was one upside, I hadn't aged a day in thirty years. I smiled at the fact I was still the beautiful woman I had been when I phased the first time.

Jacob had called a meeting last night and said we needed to be extra aware of any strange scents in and around the reservation. Apparently some of the Cullen family had rescued a hybrid like Nessie from a pair of vampires. He was recovering at the Cullen house, and Jake had volunteered us to play watchdog again in case. I guessed that he was worried either there guest would prove dangerous or the offending bloodsuckers would track him down and finish the job.

So here I was running to play guard dog. I phased back to human at the tree line surrounding the Cullen home. I walked out of the trees after pulling on the shorts and shirt I had tied to my ankle when I phased to wolf on my way here.

I walked around to the front door and knocked. The Cullens insisted we were always welcome and to consider their home ours but I would always knock it just didn't seem right to barge into someone else's home.

"Hello Leah," Esme greeted me answering the door. "Won't you come inside?" She was always so gracious that I had to smile.

"Hi Esme," I replied following her into the main room of the house. She started to say something else but my attention was drawn to the gorgeous man standing in the kitchen doorway.

He was beautiful, tall and muscled. His reddish blond hair seemed to glow in the light. His lean face was complimented by deep blue eyes. The thing that drew my attention the most though was the light green aura that radiated from his skin. Everything else disappeared as I gazed at him trying to drink him in with my eyes. My pain at Sam's imprinting on another and breaking my heart vanished. My loyalty to the pack was still there but it felt muted compared to the bond I felt for this handsome man.

He was looking at me with a slack jawed expression. I brushed at my shirt absently wishing I had worn something more flattering. My other hand ran nervously through my hair. I had let it grow some but it didn't go past my ears. I had to say something I was just staring and Esme was looking between us with a confused look on her face.

"Do you know each other," she asked still with a confused look in her eyes though she was smiling. My mind shuddered at how I must look compared to someone as beautiful as Esme. He shook his head trying to clear it and looked at her, jealousy burned through me.

"No," he said in a deep resonating voice that made my knees quiver slightly. He took a step towards me and reached his hand for me to take. "My name is Thomas."

----------

_Thomas_

I stood there looking into the dark perfect eyes framed by her honey colored skin and short raven black hair. I wanted to reach up and run my fingers through it, to feel its texture. Now that I was closer I looked over her subtle curves and graceful neck and shoulders. She hadn't taken my offered hand yet and I frowned. My scrutiny must be scaring her or at least making her uncomfortable.

Finally she took my hand. She was warm a little warmer than me but it was very close, also there was a tingle, like touching an exposed wire. It was not unpleasant. She seemed to feel it to because I felt her hand shiver in mine. Her scent was amazing it was deep rich and earthy. I resisted the urge to pull her close and breathe in the scent of her hair.

"Ah Leah," Carlisle said entering the room. His sudden greeting made us both jump and drop our hands. I frowned again at the loss of contact.

"Did Jacob send you?" The mention of this Jacob made my mind race trying to figure out what he was to Leah. She finally spoke and her voice was soft and melodious, not musical voices of vampires, this was something better and I could not find words to describe it.

"Yes I should run a sweep for a while," she smiled at me again before walking out the door. I watched the door for a few minutes before turning to Carlisle with a confused look on my face. He smiled gently gesturing me to follow him to his study.

"I'd like to give you an exam just to be on the safe side," he said. I could have told him I was fine my leg was a little sore but other than that I felt fantastic. The blood had really helped. I felt strong and ready for anything.

Carlisle's office was like a library. I'd never seen so many books, a lot of them seemed to be medical texts. That made sense as he was a doctor. His desk was pushed off to one side to accommodate the exam table. He gestured to the table and I hopped sat on it removing my shirt as requested so he could see how the bites were healing. I was glad at the very least I hadn't been bitten in the face. Looking down on my shoulder was the very first bite wound. It was clearly visible against my skin.

"These seem to have healed well," he said reassuringly. He checked my shoulder and leg. When he pressed on my leg where it had been broken I winced.

"Still sensitive" he asked. I nodded it was fading but I would be careful not to bang it on anything. He probed for a little longer and decided I would be fine by tomorrow so putting a brace on was kind of pointless. I decided now was a good time to ask about Leah.

"So why did Jacob send Leah to keep an eye on things," I asked not sure how I wanted to ask the question that was burning up my brain.

"Jacob is the Alpha of the Quileute wolf pack," Carlisle explained "they are shape shifters whose form happens to be that of a wolf." A shape shifter well I couldn't imagine a better shape than her human one. It wasn't surprising that this didn't bother me, hell I was a human vampire hybrid so my weirdness tolerance was pretty high. Carlisle continued answering the question I had really wanted to ask in the process.

"Jacob is also married to my granddaughter Nessie," he said and my heart and mind raced she was unattached great. "It has eliminated the need for the treaty we originally had to keep the peace between us." That was a good thing I guess but it failed to compare to the fact that Leah was not involved with anyone.

"Ah, it seems the others are back from school," he stated just as the sound of two cars pulled into the garage.

"Why don't we go down to the dining room and introduce you to everyone." I was nervous I hadn't met everyone yet and apparently Carlisle had a big family. I didn't think of them as a coven because any fool could see that this was a family.

Pulling on my shirt I followed Carlisle down to the dining room to meet his family.


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: Here is chapter six thanks to all my readers especially the ones who have reviewed. Hint, hint, wink, wink.**_

_**I apologize for this one taking longer. I tried to make it a little longer than normal as my way of apologizing.**_

_**Special shout out to Jada91 and Dilidilzz86, thanks for all the reviews.**_

_**Enjoy  
**_

Chapter 6

Helpful

_Thomas_

I was nervous, the thought made me smile a little. I could stalk a sadistic vampire and not feel the least bit afraid. The prospect of meeting vampires who clearly were not a threat and I was unnerved. They were arrayed around a dining room table that they apparently only used for meetings like this one. I let my eyes wander from on to the next. Carlisle and Esme were seated near the other end of the table. To Carlisle's left sat a boy who looked about my age, before he had been turned, with bronze colored hair. Next to him sat a brunette vampire. The pixie like vampire sitting near her had short black hair that stuck out like a halo around her head. I stared at the blonde vampire sitting next to her he was tall and muscled but his predominant feature was his scar ravaged face. On my right sat the second biggest vampire I had ever seen. His curly black hair seemed to fit with the small smirk on his face. The statuesque blonde near him clearly had a high opinion of her beauty but I barely noticed. She couldn't hold a candle to the girl Leah.

"Thomas," Carlisle began, "this is my family." He let them introduce themselves.

"I'm Edward and this is my wife Bella," he said smiling.

"It's very nice to meet you," Bella added. I liked her she seemed nice even to a stranger.

"I'm Alice," the pixie chirped at me, "I'm glad that Jasper's things fit you. Don't worry though I'll get you some clothes of your own next time I go shopping." I was about to argue when the vampire next to her spoke up.

"It's best not to try and dissuade Alice from shopping," he said, "I'm Jasper."

"Thanks for the loan," I thanked him. A huge hand coming down on my shoulder made me wince, at least it stayed in the socket though.

"Sorry," the big vampire said, "I'm Emmett."He had a big grin plastered on his face. I got a friendly vibe from him. Not so much from the ice queen sitting next to him. The look she was giving me could have stripped paint from a wall. She did not greet me so Emmett introduced her. "This is Rosalie." The glare she continued to give me was beginning to grate on my nerves.

"Did I do something wrong," I asked matching her gaze with one of my own.

"No, you most certainly have not," Esme spoke immediately casting a disapproving look on Rosalie.

"You only pulled us into whatever mess you were involved in," she sneered. Her tone mad me irrationally angry. I slammed my hands on the table as I stood.

"Oh I'm very sorry you my being beaten half to death inconvenienced you," I said in a venomous tone. I looked over at Carlisle and Esme not wanting to offend them. Though I knew the way I was acting was extremely rude and a slap in the face to everything my mother had taught me of etiquette.

"Excuse me, I'd like to be alone for a while." I didn't wait for a dismissal I turned and walked out of the dining room and headed for the front door. I kept walking once I was outside. I didn't hear anyone following me. Hopefully they would give me the time I needed to cool off. I disappeared into the trees in front of the house needing to have complete solitude.

--------------

_Leah_

I tried to focus on the soft ground churning beneath my paws as I ran a circuit to check for any uninvited guests. My mind kept on wandering back to my imprint. Why now after all this time and why me. I, as far as I knew was a genetic dead end and incapable of having children. The elders speculated that imprinting was how we found our mates and that would lead to stronger wolves to protect the tribe. It made no sense at all. I was glad that when I imprinted all the pain from Sam imprinting on Emily was gone really and not just pushed to the back of my mind.

Sam I was glad he had finally stepped down as Alpha and Jacob had stepped up to take his birthright. Jacob was a good leader and Sam wanted so badly to grow old with Emily. He'd done what none of the other pack had been able to do, he'd stopped phasing. Emily had been so ecstatic, I was glad I could finally be truly happy for them.

It was nice having this alone time in wolf form. It was rare when we could be alone like this. The only time you got privacy was when you were human.

_Holy crap you imprinted. _That was Seth my annoying brother. Happy little punk had liked the vampires ever since his battle at Edward's side so long ago. I was coming around I did like Esme and Carlisle and it was very difficult to not like Alice. The others I was at least civil too, except the blond she could be a real bitch.

_Rose isn't that bad Leah. _He was just so accepting and he thought she was incredibly hot. She also had an amazing …

_Hey control your thoughts ugh. _I mentally snarled at my brother. That was the downside to being in a pack with all male members the thoughts could be inappropriate for female company. _So what did you need Seth._

_Jacob sent me to help you patrol the Cullens. If you want you can go get to know Thomas and I'll get Embry or Quil to run a perimeter with me. _I liked that idea I hadn't said anything to him at all. There was so much to say that I didn't know where to start.

_I'm a fan of hello when I meet someone new._ He was always the helpful one my brother.

_Thanks Seth now why didn't I think of that._ A howl broke the relative silence of the forest and then Embry's thoughts flooded the pack mind. He wisely did not mention my imprinting for which I was grateful.

_No problem Leah._ Well so much for gentlemanly courtesy. I felt the laughs those two were sharing. I was approaching the Cullen house when I caught Thomas's scent outside of the house and heading for the trees.

I followed his delicious scent, smirking at the guys mental retching. The scent went on until it came to a small clearing. I phased relishing being alone in my mind. He was there sitting alone a boulder that rose out of the center of the clearing. His back was to me as I walked out and realized I hadn't put my clothes back on. This imprinting thing was definitely going to cause some drama if I wasn't careful. I quickly dressed and stepped closer.

"What do you want," he said with a thick voice. I couldn't see his face but I was willing to lay odds that he had been crying. I rushed over to his side. He was looking at his hands folded in his lap. The tear streaks on his were still fairly fresh, my heart ached.

"Are you alright," I asked touching his shoulder. He jumped at my touch and looked over at me, stabbing my heart again with the sadness in his eyes. I couldn't help it I through my arms around his neck and hugged him. It was made awkward by the boulder. He slid down the side of the boulder closest to me and I followed him down so I was sitting beside him never once letting him go "it'll be okay."

His arms slid around me and he returned my hug with equal strength. We held each other like that for what could have been hours, but were in fact only moments. We let each other go unwillingly, at least I didn't want to let him go. I suspected he felt the same.

"Thank you," he said. I looked at him confused. All I had done was comfort him. "The pain I push to the side goes away when you are near me." I smiled at that glad that he didn't hurt when I was around.

"You look like your injuries have healed," the confusion in my voice. A sad smile crossed his face as he explained.

"I'm not talking about the pedestrian physical pain from injuries," he began quietly, "the cruel jab that my family was killed and I couldn't stop it." Horror painted my face at his explanation. He saw it and looked away.

"I'm sorry I shouldn't burden you with this."

"No it's alright I want to hear, to help if I can," my tone was eager. I wanted so much to know more about the beautiful man who sat beside me. He met my eyes and saw the truth there.

"Why, what am I to you," I didn't flinch at his tone which had a defeated sound to it. I guess I would have to explain to him what had happened when we first met. I was unsure of how to begin. There were no constrictions when it came to your other half so there wasn't anything I had to hide. There was just so much to tell.

"Did Carlisle explain what I am," I asked hoping I could start in the middle.

"Yes he said you were a shape shifter." Good I thanked Carlisle silently. A thought occurred to me just then so I voiced it.

"That doesn't bother you does it," I asked genuinely curious but still fearful of the answer. He saw my expression and smiled to give me confidence.

"What a hypocrite that would make me," he said "being the bastard son of a vampire." His joking tone did not diminish the spike of anger at the derision of himself. He was perfect handsome, sensitive, and kind.

"Don't you ever talk about yourself like that again," I snapped.

"Sorry, we were talking about what this attraction between us was." I took a breath to get hold of myself.

"Members of my pack feel an instant connection with their other half," I began to explain when his previous statement registered derailing my train of thought, "you're attracted to me too?" He smiled at that. His smile made me want to stare at him forever. I envied vampires at that moment and their ability to go without blinking. The silence after I asked my question was difficult, he just sat there smiling.

"You are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen," that was the most perfect thing he had ever said. A drop of rain fell on my cheek making me jump. Damn it why did the rain have to ruin the moment.

"Maybe we should head back," I suggested. He was on his feet in an instant offering me his hand to help me up. Chivalrous too, maybe this imprinting thing wasn't so bad after all. I took it though I hardly needed help getting to my feet. I just wanted an excuse to touch him. He pulled me up into his arms held me so I could look in his eyes.

"There has been something I have wanted to always do," he said with a small smile. I didn't get a chance to ask what before his lips met mine and the entire world ceased to exist.


	7. Chapter 7

**_A/N: Here is Chapter 7 please read and review._**

Chapter 7

Talents

_Thomas_

There was nothing that mattered to me anymore not the pain of my loss, not my hatred for the vampires that had taken everything from me. The only thing that mattered any more was the woman I held in my arms. We were still kissing despite the rain. Her arms had wrapped around behind my neck and she was pulling me closer. My arms were around her waist and I was attempting to do the same. When her fingers brushed through my hair, they sent waves of electricity cascading down my back.

My lips parted as hers had and we breathed new life into each other. A small voice in my head was screaming propriety and other such nonsense. I told it where it could stick its propriety. I did pull a way for a second needing to breathe. I tilted my face to the sky and let the rain wash over me. Leah's hand on my cheek made me look at her. Her eyes were beautiful. I ran the back of my fingers along her cheek. She was smiling at me and I smiled back at her. I hadn't been happy, truly happy in a long time. I'd smile if someone smiled at me, but to me it had always felt ingenuine. Leah had changed all that for me, as I smiled at her the feeling behind it was genuine and deep.

"You're so beautiful," I said, she looked away feeling self conscious. A chuckle escaped my lips and she looked back at me.

"Look who's talking," she replied. The rain fell was soaking us, not that I cared and from the way she still felt so warm I surmised it probably didn't bother her either. I wanted to kiss her again but my stomach grumbled at that moment and we both laughed out loud.

"Guess we had better get back," I said after we were done laughing. Leah just nodded and I took her hand in mine. We walked back towards the house glancing back at each other occasionally. When we reached the house I hesitated at the front door not sure if I should knock or if I should just go inside. Esme answering the door solved that problem.

"I'm so sorry if anything that was said offended you," she began "we don't all feel the way Rosalie does." I knew that but it was nice to hear. Esme again astounded me with her ability to feel empathy for a complete stranger.

"No apologies nesseccary," I said. "I overreacted to a feeling she had every right to have." It was true it did not mean that I had to like it. The gurgling coming from my torso ended that train of thought.

"I'll fix you something to eat," she said, "Leah you are more than welcome as always. Jacob and Renesme should be here soon." I looked down slightly at Leah, enjoying that she was almost my height. In my opinion there was nothing sexier, than a woman you could look in the eyes without incurring neck injuries. I realized then that as far as I knew she had nothing to change into. I was about to say something when Edward spoke up.

"Esme won't mind if you borrow something to wear." Esme nodded on her affirmation as she headed to the kitchen. Alice bounded over to us and grabbed Leah's hand that was not already held by me.

"Come on I'll help you pick out something." For some unknown reason I felt sorry for Leah. A knowing smile from Edward made me think my pity was needed. Alice was tugging on Leah's hand and I had a brief thought of trying to win against Alice she was tiny it might be even.

"You should let go she's not above calling Emmett to help," Edward laughed.

"Yeah Alice is a force of nature when it comes to fashion," Bella added shaking her head. I let go and watched as they went upstairs. I followed a few seconds later and went to the room where I had woken up. I stripped my sodden shirt off. I looked around the room for a towel. A soft knock at the door made me look up.

"Come in," I called. Edward came in bearing a towel. I wondered how he knew I was looking for one. He answered my unspoken question.

"I can read minds," he said. Wow that must come in handy. Again he nodded at my unspoken thought.

"That's cool," I said. My thoughts drifted to my unexplained ability. When it first manifested itself I had been extremely angry and I had done some things I could not duplicate later when I had calmed down. The most I could manage now was to immobilize my opponent.

"That's interesting. You're sure you never touched anything," he said intrigued.

"Nothing, I just pictured what I wanted to happen and it did," I said. He continued to ask questions until the smell of cooking steak wafted into the room making my stomach growl.

"I'll let you get changed so you can eat." He left the room closing the door behind him. I chose a light gray button done and khaki slacks. Edward's interest in my ability had brought my own dormant interest to the forefront of my mind. I would have to try and see if I could make it work the way I wanted, when I wanted. Another whiff of steak made my mouth water I walked down the stairs following my nose to the delicious smells calling my name.

------------

_Leah_

The kiss had been running through my head the whole way back to the Cullen's house. I couldn't help taking small glances at him and he apparently could not help doing the same. Esme opened the door for us and was apologizing for something that had been said that had upset Thomas. He shrugged it off saying he overreacted. Shortly after that I was being dragged away by Alice to help me pick something to wear courtesy of Esme. I was secretly glad Alice had offered to help, I definitely liked her best out of all the Cullens. It was probably her bubbly personality.

"So how was the kiss," Alice asked. My Jaw dropped and I just stared at her not knowing how to respond.

"How did you know," I asked when I could talk again. She gave me a look that questioned my sanity. Then a question came to my mind, "I thought you couldn't see shape shifters and half breeds."

"I've been seeing Jacob and Nessie for months," she began to explain "they are still very hazy images but I can see them now." That was strange I guess Sam would have found that troubling, but he wasn't in charge of the pack any longer and Jacob saw the Cullens as family so it probably wouldn't stress over it if he didn't already know.

"Well get those wet things off and try these on," She handed me a light green short sleeve button down shirt and a pair of cream colored denim Capri pants. They fit alright, though they were just a touch small. I looked at myself in the full length mirror and was amazed at how I looked.

"I think Thomas would approve," she smiled. I felt a blush creep its way to my cheeks. I hoped he would, he seemed not to care what I was wearing before. I looked over at Alice, whose look had become blank. A few seconds later she focused on me.

"Oh he is going to love it," she said smugly and then she frowned, "I wish you would let me put some makeup on you." No makeup was not going to happen I didn't want to find out what would happen if I phased with it on. Images of a clown faced wolf danced through my head. The smell of cooking steak made my mouth water. I guess it had been a while since I had eaten too. I went downstairs to the kitchen hoping Thomas had beaten me there and I could surprise him with how I looked. To my dismay he wasn't there.

I jumped when two strong arms wrapped around my waist and a soft but strong voice whispered in my ear.

"Alice appears to have very good taste," Thomas said from behind me "I didn't think it was possible to improve on perfection." I felt my heart melt at his words. Someone coughed in to politely remind us that there were others present. Emmett took a more vocal approach.

"If those two get any cuter I'm going to puke." He seemed to ponder something for a moment.

"Then again from how tight he seems to be wound Thomas needs to get laid." Thomas stiffened at that as did I. The first comment was tolerable but the second was not and apparently someone agreed because there was a smacking sound.

"Jeez Bella, I was only joking." Thomas and I both stifled laughs at that.

"Let's go sit and eat," Thomas suggested. The food smelled incredibly delicious. He moved to my side and took my hand in his walking with me to the kitchen. We both thanked Esme before we started eating. We ate silently looking at each other occasionally. The light had gone out of the sky as we finished.

Thomas yawned, stretching his arms over his head. He smiled at me but I could see the sleep threatening. I didn't want to leave though. Edward proved a lifesaver with his mindreading ability.

"Leah can sleep in my old room," he offered. Bella began to ask a question but Edward silenced her with a kiss. I wonder what she had been about to ask. Thomas grasped my hand gently and led me to the stairs. We walked to Edward's old room together. Apparently Thomas was going to wish me goodnight.

"Hmm so that's whose room I was staying in," a slow smile crossed his face.

"What, this is Edwards's room… ah," it all clicked into place then. I would definitely have to thank Edward later, though he probably knew now as he could read minds.

"Well goodnight," I said as we entered the room. He handed me a long sleeve shirt to sleep in and turned his back so I could put it on. Not that I would have minded if he watched as I did so. He grabbed a pair of cotton pajama bottoms and I did not turn my back as he changed out of his clothes. He turned around and I must not have changed my expression as he gave me a knowing wink.

"Ready for bed," he asked as he climbed into the bed with a wrought iron frame. I slipped in on the other side and put my head on his shoulder and laid my arm across his bare chest.

"Sleep well," I said kissing his cheek.

"You to my love," he responded and I snuggled into his side feeling warm and content.


	8. Chapter 8

**_A/N: I didn't like the the way I ended the chapter so I expanded it._**

**_Read and review let me know if it was an improvement.  
_**

Chapter 8

Monster

_Thomas_

The morning light coming in through the window made Leah's skin glow as she slept. I had my head resting on my hand as I watched her lying there sleeping, her breathing slow and rhythmic. I'd woken up hours ago and all I could do was stare at the beautiful girl by my side. I'd never felt this way before, even when my parents were alive and after they were gone. I missed them more in that moment. It hit me full force that I had no one to talk to about anymore. The last thing I wanted to do was burden the Cullens further. They had already done enough for me. I thought maybe I could talk to Leah, but it would feel awkward talking about how I felt with her. We had started to discuss it but she had been distracted when I admitted my attraction to her.

There was more than enough time to discuss that later. I leaned in and breathed her scent deeply. My eyes snapped open when the burn in my throat flared like I'd swallowed a lit torch. Her blood called to me I was frozen in place. Her scent was torturing me. I'd just fed yesterday. I've gone for weeks at a time without blood and it had never bothered me like this before. The vampire in me roared and tried to take control so he could satisfy the burn in my throat. My conscious mind was losing ground though and I was leaning closer to her neck. My lips parted and venom filled my mouth as I prepared to sink my teeth into her soft skin.

The door crashed open causing instinct to take over more. I leaped off the bed and crouched defending my prey. Edward stood there with Bella behind him. His hands were up in a calming gesture.

"Calm down," he said. I felt the movement behind me as Leah sat up in bed.

"What the hell's going on," she cried seeing me crouched in front of the bed with Edward trying to calm me. Her voice did what his could not it brought me back in control. I straightened from my crouch horrified by what had almost happened.

"I'm sorry," I said as I bolted towards the floor length window, grabbing a set of clothes on the way. The window flew open before I reached it and I leapt out landing on the ground and sprinting for the river. Another leap brought me to the other side.

Without breaking stride I shed the cotton pants I had been wearing and put on the jeans I had grabbed. The shirt was over my head, my arms through the sleeves as I continued to run.

My mind whirled through what I had done trying to find the reason. Only once had I slipped and fed on human before. Afterwards I had been thirsty much more than normal needing to feed on animal blood daily to control my thirst. Then it clicked the blood that Carlisle had given me had been human. That was why I'd nearly… I couldn't finish the thought. I needed animal blood to mute the burn in my throat.

I let my senses take over. The hunter rose in my mind and stretched like a hunting cat. The world changed when my senses took over. The colors got brighter, smells became more potent, and I heard everything around me for miles. A crash of something lumbering through the trees about a hundred yards to my left drew my attention. Bear, I didn't care what it was I needed to stop the burn.

"I leapt into the branches of a pine tree and stalked the bear. It appeared to be oblivious to my presence. When I was directly above him I dropped onto his back. The bear was less than pleased with the sudden extra weight. Before I could sink my teeth in it reared and bucked trying to dislodge me. His last resort was to try rolling over to try and crush me. This move got me off his back, but I wasn't about to just let him go. I sprang to my feet just as it charged in, roaring defiance. I heard another roar answer not realizing that I was the one roaring back at him.

A swipe of its paw caught the side of my head making my ears ring. It didn't hurt I was practically indestructible, a mere animal was no match for me. Its next swipe I dodged under and crashed into his chest. My teeth found the bear's neck and I drank deeply, feeling the burn subside as the blood flowed down my throat. I stood after finishing the last drop. Out of habit I snapped the bear's neck.

"Overkill don't you think," a voice said from a few yards behind me. If I had not already sensed that there was someone behind me I would have jumped.

"Force of habit," I said turning to see Emmett, Edward and Jasper standing by a tree. Emmett was leaning casually against the tree, Edward was to his left his arms crossed over his chest, and Jasper was standing to the left just behind Edward. Their expressions were varied. Edward looked concerned while Emmett looked slightly amused by something and Jasper just looked ready to spring into action. We stared at each other; I had no idea what they wanted me to say. I had nearly killed Leah, I was disgusted with myself.

"Not all of us like to play with our food Em," Edward said causing Emmett to laugh out loud. I shot a questioning look at Edward.

"Emmett wanted to see you fight the bear for a little longer," he explained shaking his head at Emmett's immaturity.

"I was thirsty next time I'll let him hit me a few more times," I said trying to lighten the mood. Rosalie aside I liked Emmett he had an interesting philosophy. Edward chuckled at my thought. I was still not happy about what I had done and I had no idea how to explain.

"Just take your time," Edward urged. I decided I should explain.

"When I was about five," I began moving to sit by a tree, "I'd gone out hunting by myself. I was expressly told never to hunt alone. My parents wanted to make sure that there were no accidents."

"I caught a delicious scent," I continued my voice growing quiet with every word. "The man never saw it coming. I drained him dry before my father caught up to me." I put my hands in my face at the memory. "He never yelled or even punished me. He simply said that was why he didn't want me hunting alone." The memory of my father's calm acceptance of what I had done confused me at the time.

"I hunted more than normal for a few months after that," I explained "the extra animal blood helped me control the thirst." They hadn't said anything just listened to me recall my story.

"I should have remembered the last time and not spent the night with Leah." Talking to them definitely helped, I didn't feel like a monster as much. Edward nodded at my thoughts. I was glad that they had decided to come after me.

"Any time you need to talk don't be afraid to ask," Edward said. I may have to take him up on that sometime. He just nodded again. It was comforting to have someone to talk with. A thought occurred to me then.

"Can you guys help me with something," I asked hoping that with their help I could control my power. It would be great if I could use it when I wanted and how I wanted.

"Sure we can help you learn to use your power," Edward said reading my thoughts again. That was going to take some getting used to, he smiled as he shook his head again, "when do you want to begin."

"Anything wrong with right now," I offered. They seemed to deliberate for a moment.

"Why don't we hunt first," Emmett asked "I'm getting thirsty." We all saw no problems with that. I had already had the bear but I was still thirsty and an idea.

"Smallest catch loses," I shouted as I dashed towards a smell I had picked up. I heard the others behind me; I could tell they were slowing their pace to accommodate my inferior stamina and speed. A large herd of elk were in a clearing before us and I zeroed in on the large bull grazing in the center.

I leapt as soon as I reached the clearing's edge. The bull and I collided and rolled over a few times before I could get into position. Finally latched onto his throat, and drank my fill before breaking its spine. Standing and surveying the scene before me the others had bagged two each but mine was still the biggest.

"Looks like I win," I called as they finished their feeding.

"And here's your prize," Emmett said as he charged me. As he bore down on me I shot under his reaching arms and I grabbed his legs. Using his momentum against him I lifted up and flung him over me. He landed heavily on his back with a sound like a boulder hitting the ground. I skittered forward and turned dropping into a crouch. He was already getting back to his feet.

"Now you're in deep trouble," he growled playfully.

"Ooh, maybe should have worn boots to shake in," I taunted back at him. Edward and Jasper laughed hard at that one. Emmett glared at them which only made them laugh harder. The events of this morning were put behind as I wrestled with my new friends.

Finally Emmett pinned me. He had me in a leg lock and was putting pressure on.

"Say 'Emmett is the strongest, smartest, and coolest vampire'," Emmett demanded. I refused to admit defeat though.

"NEVER," I yelled in defiance. I squirmed trying to get free but it was no use.

"Say it," Emmett commanded.

"Emmett is the strongest, smartest, and coolest vampire."

"Don't ever forget it." Emmett released me and grinned smugly. We all had a good laugh. I promised I would get Emmett back. He just chuckled and said to bring it on. I felt great I was tired but it was a good tired.

"Let's head back," Jasper suggested. We ran back to the house feeling good about the way the day had turned out. When we got there a large man with cropped black hair and russet colored skin stared hard at me. I was unsure of who he was and what I had done to provoke his anger. The smile on my face disappeared and things had been going so well.

"Calm down Jacob," Edward said telling Jacob not to do anything rash with his eyes.

"What the fuck did you do to Leah," he growled at me. I ignored his use of profanity. She must be very confused by my exit. I needed to explain so she could understand and hopefully not think it was her fault. I had a feeling this Jacob was going to be less than helpful. Maybe if I tried to play nice I'd get this over with and be able to talk to Leah.

"We haven't been introduced," I began coming up the porch steps "I'm Thomas." I extended my hand in greeting. He clamped his massive hand on mine and squeezed down. It felt like he was trying to break my hand. I heard Edward growl quietly behind me. Jacob's grip which would have utterly destroyed a normal man's hand did nothing more than irritate me. He released me after a moment.

"Jacob," he said in a tone that should have had a sneer attached. He was beginning to annoy me with his attitude. I entertained a few thoughts involving violence but dismissed them because they wouldn't help the situation.

"Is she still here?" I needed to explain why I had left like that and I wasn't about to give that explanation to the fuming man before me.

"I had her relieve Quil from his patrol."

"Where was he patrolling, I need to explain my actions." He looked at me with an 'I don't actually give a damn' expression.

"You can explain to me," he said. Perfect he was going to be difficult, just what I needed. I sniffed the air and caught Leah's intoxicating scent. If he wasn't going to help forget him I would find her myself. I stepped around him to move in the direction of the scent, he was going to be very difficult apparently as he placed himself in front of me again. I heard Jasper and Emmett move to Edward's sides in case I needed help. I raised a hand to stop them.

I concentrated on not getting letting my irritation turn to anger. I moved my hand up to shove Jacob backwards. Before I even made contact he flew in the direction I had intended shove him. I didn't wait for a reprisal, ran flat out off of the other side of the porch not bothering with the stairs and not breaking stride when I hit the grass. I sprinted into the surrounding forest following that beautiful and intoxicating smell filling my senses.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Sorry this one took so long but I didn't like the way I ended the last chapter so I expanded the end.**

**Check out that and let me know what you guys think. **

**As always I love it when you review after reading.  
**

Chapter 9

Understanding

_Thomas_

The forest blurred by me as I ran or would have if my eyesight were not so keen. I did not have the senses a full vampire would have but it was better than a humans. I couldn't make out exact details but everything I saw was still recognizable for what it was. The pace I ran at was faster than I normally did, still slower than a full vampire but not by much. Normally I could only maintain this kind of speed for short distances as I tired quickly but the human blood from yesterday and the animal blood from earlier gave me better endurance.

Leah's scent clung to the air as I followed her course through the green and brown world around us. A flash of sandy colored fur few yards to my left made me slow. It kept moving in and out of sight. I wasn't sure what it was all I knew was that it was huge. I guessed at least as big as a horse, which I knew it could not be as it reeked of dog. It was beginning to damage my calm that it was shadowing my movements.

I spotted an ancient conifer tree and decided that whatever was there could not likely climb. Running right up the side of the tree I continued my forward progress. Her scent was not as powerful from up in the branches due to the extra moisture that permeated the air. Leaping from branch to branch I followed the trail left by her smell trying to decide how I would explain myself.

---------------

_Leah_

Running as fast as I could through the forest was not helping my confusion. Why? I replayed the events of earlier today. I had woken up when the door to Edward's room had crashed inward. Thomas was crouched in front of the bed snarling at Edward and Bella. They were inexplicably trying to calm him. Just as suddenly he stood up and looked at me before apologizing for some unknown offence and grabbing some clothes and leaping out the window as it opened.

I had nearly leaped after him to find out what was going on. Bella had stopped me saying Edward and his brothers would go after him. Still being confused had kept me from running after him. Jacob and Nessie had shown up later and he could see I was uncomfortable but he did not know why. He said to relieve Quil from patrol. As soon as I phased everyone else in wolf form was aware of my imprint on Thomas and his kiss so soon after meeting me. The desire to explain that to him was tolerable at the moment.

_You're being trailed. _Seth's warning brought me back from my personal thoughts. Maybe they caught up to Thomas and one of them was coming to get me. I dismissed the thought Jacob was there and if Thomas had returned he would phase and tell me. He knew all about my imprint and the events from earlier.

_Shit, I think it saw me, it just ran up a tree._ Great this was probably not good. Whoever it was wanted to avoid detection. _Did you get a good look at it?_ His response was less than helpful.

_No and I don't recognize the smell. It reeks of vampire though. _This was getting disturbing. My thoughts flew to Thomas. What if the bloodsuckers that had hurt him came back? _Should we call for reinforcements? _I considered it for a moment before deciding not to, there was only one of them._ That I saw._ Seth argued trying to reason with me.

_Listen just meet up with me_. I showed him where I wanted him to meet me. His thoughts told me he didn't like it but he agreed. I slowed as I reached our meeting place and paced around trying to watch everywhere at once.

A soft thud on the ground at my back had me lunging forward and whirling to protect my rear. There he stood with a confused look on his face. He really was gorgeous. His blue eyes made me want to tackle him and kiss his face.

_Oh god please stop, I think I'm gonna hurl. _Seth's mind was cringing from the images running through my head. I did my best to control my mind.

"Leah?"

His voice was uncertain. He took a cautious step towards me his hands held out from his sides as he continued to stare at me. His look had my thoughts and emotions in a whirlwind. I tried to phase back but I found I could not concentrate enough to do so.

A whimper escaped me at my inability to do something I had actually become quite good at.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to frighten you," he said trying to soothe me. IT did help somewhat. I felt myself calming and my thoughts coming to order. At least he wasn't frightened of a horse-sized light grey wolf. His expression had changed to one of awe.

I pulled inward on my wolf-self feeling the transformation vibrate my whole body until I was human again. Thomas's eyes widened as I changed and he quickly whirled to face the opposite direction. Curiosity made me look down and realize I was naked.

"Sorry," he called over his shoulder. I quickly dropped to one knee to untie my clothes from my ankle. I had my shorts and t-shirt on in seconds.

"You can turn around now," I called smiling a little at his awkwardness seeing me unclothed. Hell we had slept in the same bed last night and that kiss awkwardness was the last thing I expected. He turned slowly to face me. My smile faded when I saw the look on his face. He saw my smile disappear and looked away.

"I'm sorry about this morning," he said still looking away from me "you must be very confused." That was hitting the nail right on the head.

"Why did you run out like that?" He took a deep breath to steady himself. "I very nearly killed you this morning." That was unexpected I took a step backwards feeling my back hit a tree. The motion did not go unnoticed.

"Why don't we sit and I'll try to explain," he offered. I suddenly felt irrationally angry at him, I didn't sit. I took another step but forward this time.

"Oh maybe you should have done that instead of confessing to attempted murder." As soon as the words were out of my mouth I regretted them. Well so much for having my temper under control. He broke eye contact with me and the look of hurt on his face made me sorry for my harshness.

"I guess I deserved that," his voice sounded like he was close to tears. Perfect I just made my imprint cry while trying to explain himself. I was pretty sure that was a first for werewolves with imprints. "I'll let you get back to your patrol."

He started to walk away from me and all I could do was stare at his back. A little voice in my head was screaming at me to stop him, let him explain. This was definitely not how I heard imprinting was supposed to work. The imprinted was supposed to be showered with love and adoration and here I was making mine upset.

"Wait," I whispered just as he disappeared into the trees. He didn't hear me because he didn't stop. Seth stepped up to my side from behind me and rubbed his head against my arm trying to comfort me. I reached up and touched my cheek feeling the wetness there, I was crying and I didn't even realize it.

"Well I screwed that up nicely." Seth just continued to try and be comforting. I reached up and patted his shoulder in thanks. The sound of four more feet approaching made us look back. Jacob was walking towards us in his wolf-form. He saw my pained expression and growled deep in his throat. Apparently Seth hadn't heard the exchanges between Thomas and me.

"No, Jake it was my fault," I took a deep breath and was glad that Seth hadn't heard. Jacob would go off the deep end when he found out and now was not the time. "I'm going to go after him." I needed to talk to Thomas, I had hurt him and I couldn't stand that. He needed to know I wasn't angry at him. I jogged in the direction he had departed and followed hopefully he hadn't started running. He was still walking I could just see him walking away from me.

"Wait," I yelled this time. He stopped but didn't turn around. The tension in his body was clear, but without seeing his face I couldn't tell if it was anger or surprise.

"Come to rake me over the coals some more," the bitter tone was definitely anger.

"I'm sorry about earlier." He still didn't turn but some of the tension relaxed from his back. "I should have let you explain."

"Why don't we talk?" It was a good suggestion. I wanted to know everything about him, he was after all my other half. I walked up to stand beside him. He moved towards a small circle of trees and I followed. We sat across from each other.

"I'm sorry about this morning," he began again, "I want to tell you everything."

"I want to tell you everything too." He nodded at that and smiled a little.

"Ladies first," he said, great well hopefully I could give him some answers to some previously asked questions.

"You know I'm a werewolf," I started there it would help tie everything else together. "Members of my tribe would change in times of need." This was going well so far, thankfully Thomas was not interrupting so I could get it all out.

"Traditionally only the men would become wolves but for some reason I became the first woman in my tribe to change." He just sat there listening to me tell my story. I continued on with the events that had led up to my meeting him.

"When I saw you, I imprinted," I said. I had explained imprinting already so he only nodded still smiling his small smile.

"It scared and confused me when you left like that." His smile disappeared when he saw a tear run down my cheek. I looked at the ground not wanting him to see me cry. He had me wrapped in his arms so quickly that I hadn't even heard him move.

"I'm so sorry about that." His voice was so sincere that I felt a little better.

"I'll try to explain better this time but I'll need to start at the beginning. He moved so he could sit beside me keeping one arm wrapped around me. I leaned into his chest feeling comforted by his acceptance of what I had told him.

"Hopefully this imprinting is as permanent as it sounds," he began "because you may not want to be around me after you hear what I have to tell you." I doubted that very much because I knew that imprinting was as permanent as it gets.

"Go on I want to hear everything." He nodded and he looked directly ahead.

"I already told you that my family is dead." His tone was sad as he told me about how they had been killed. I slid my arm around his back so I could rub it comfortingly. He leaned his head to rest it on top of mine. He told me about what had happened in his life before that day. Eventually he came back to those events and his tone changed.

"I destroyed the two vampires that were waiting for me," he said his voice turning angry and his arm tightening around my shoulders. "I decided I wanted to kill them all and I set out to hunt them down." I shuddered at his tone, he sounded different as he continued.

"I hated them for what they had done and I always will."

"I'm so sorry," I said bringing my other arm across his waist hugging him tightly, hoping my acceptance would help him.

"Then I met you and I felt all the anger and thirst for vengeance leave me." I smiled at how I had helped and not even known it. "And then I try to drink your blood." He sighed letting the rest of the tension out in a breath.

"Don't worry about it," I said understanding what had happened after hearing his explanation. He looked down to meet my eyes as I looked up to meet his. There was another of his small smiles that I was beginning to like very much. "You just smelled too good, you still do."

I felt my cheeks warm at his words. We didn't say any more after that. The light had started to fade out of the sky as we sat enjoying each other's company. I felt my eyelids get heavy. I was tired from all the stress today and I slowly fell asleep against his chest.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I apologize in advanced to the Leah fans. Again Leah's POV is absent from this chapter. Don't hate me **

**I plan to make it up by giving Leah her own chapter at some point. Also i think this is my longest chapter.**

**I also think it is my best. As always reviews are always welcome. **

**Good, bad, a direction you'd like to see the story go. I'm always open to suggestions as long as they're reasonable.**

**Kay I'll stop blathering now and let you read in peace.**

**Disclaimer: Twilight is not mine. I just like to play there.  
**

Chapter 10

Hospitality

_Thomas_

Here we are again I thought with a smile. We had fallen asleep together in the forest this time. It amazed me that after I told her what I had been and what I had nearly done she still accepted me. I buried my face in her hair, filling my senses with its texture and scent. My mind began to pick apart the components of that beautifully delicious scent. It was earthy and rich with undercurrents of wildflowers and I thought I smelled ocean waves. In hindsight letting her scent permeate me like this was a bad idea.

The thirst made its burning appearance. I had anticipated this and already formulated a plan of how to deal with it. The only way to control the thirst was to feed regularly. So that was what I planned to do if it kept me from harming the angel lying in my arms.

I didn't want to leave her alone but I needed to feed to control the burning in my throat. I was very careful not to jostle Leah as I extricated myself from her embrace. Thankfully she did not wake as I lay her down to the forest floor. I positioned her arm under her head so she had somewhat of a pillow. I gently traced my fingertips across her cheek. She stirred slightly but did not wake. I took a step away, but stopped when an idea occurred to me. Pulling my shirt off I folded it and put it between her arm and head. She took a deep breath and whispered, "Thomas." Her speaking my name in her sleep brought a smile to my face.

I straightened and took a deep breath tasting the air. A familiar scent made me look to the right. I quietly moved in that direction. The smell of deer drew me onwards. I found a large stream and the scent seemed to follow it, I did the same. Eventually I came to the edge of a small pool and saw a large doe drinking. She was completely oblivious to my presence. My leap was accurate as I grabbed the deer and satisfied my thirst.

Not wanting my kill to sully the pool of water I dragged it into the trees and left it for scavengers. A sound of falling water made me look up. I decided to follow the stream and came upon a small waterfall that fell into a small lake for it was too big to be called a pond.

The beauty of the place took my breath away. The water of the lake below was crystal clear and I could see all the way to the bottom. The cliff I was standing on made a perfect horseshoe shape. I noticed two more small waterfalls set around the horseshoe. The trees added an emerald hue to the air and the waterfalls created a mist where they emptied into the lake. If the sun were not hidden behind the clouds little rainbows would have colored the air. Leah would have to see this place when the sun made an appearance from behind the clouds.

Thinking of Leah made me realize I didn't want her to wake up alone. Her possible reactions frightened me, she really didn't need the extra stress. As luck would have it she was just beginning to stir as I came back to her side.

"Good morning," I greeted her with a smile. She blinked sleepily at me and smiled in response. She sat up quickly and looked around confused by her surroundings and finally settled her eyes on my naked chest. Her blush made her look even more beautiful, she looked away shyly.

"Does this bother you," I asked indicating my torso. She looked up quickly and then looked away blushing harder. My chuckle at her embarrassment seemed to make the blush deeper. "Can I have my shirt then?"

She handed it to me still not making eye contact. I frowned a little as I replaced my shirt to its previous job of covering my chest and back. Leah finally looked up though her blush was still faintly visible.

"Where did you go?" Apparently my absence hadn't gone unnoticed. I sighed and decided I would not keep things from her if I could avoid it.

"I needed to hunt," I frowned a little and looked down "I didn't want to wake you."

I looked up just enough so I could see her face but she couldn't quite see my eyes. Her look confused me and I was about to question her feelings on my need for blood.

"Oh, I was hoping you would want to have breakfast at my place." That sounded very inviting but I needed to check in with the Cullens and see if everything was okay. I frowned before a thought came to my mind.

"I need to check in with the Cullens," I began, her face fell at my rejection of her offer, "but I would love to come to your place and have lunch."

Leah had the most brilliant smile and she showed it to me now. I couldn't help but smile back at her.

"That's perfect," she exclaimed, her excitement made me feel better about turning her down for breakfast. I looked up at the sky and judged the time to be about nine or ten o'clock in the morning.

"How does around one sound." She continued to smile with excitement as she nodded her ascent. It felt amazing to see her so happy. I found that I liked this imprinting phenomenon. We both stood and I was suddenly confused by how I should say my farewell. On the one hand I wanted to give her a deep passionate kiss like the one we shared after our first meeting. On the other I didn't think it was appropriate given the events of yesterday.

I stepped forward and she tilted her face up slightly to mine. I kissed her gently on the lips, just barely making contact. I stepped away and smiled at her closed eyes she looked a little disappointed but not much.

"I'll see you later." I turned at that and ran off towards the Cullen house smiling to myself.

-----------

I made it to my destination in short order having no trouble with my sense of direction in this unfamiliar area. I mostly followed my nose. My father had been an impressive tracker when he was alive. He had trained me from a young age to use senses other than my eyes. I had inherited his senses and they had served me well. Thankfully he had also taught me to fight as well. In a life or death situation my chances of survival were better than average. The one thing that I had never trained was my ability to move objects with my thoughts. Thankfully Edward had agreed to help me.

The house was quiet and I could only detect traces of Edward's and the other's scents. Esme's was the most potent, Carlisle's was also strong but it was fading. Again I was struck by confusion as to whether I should knock or not before entering.

"Come in Thomas," came Esme's soft call from somewhere in the house. Entering the house I saw Esme coming down the stairs. She had a motherly smile fixed on her face. I wondered if it was ever not present. I returned it with a smile of my own.

"Did everything go alright with Leah?"

"Yes I found her and explained," I answered. I then told her what I had told Leah about myself and how human blood caused me to need to feed more often to keep my thirst under control. She looked concerned at my explanation.

"Don't worry I'm just going to feed more often for a while," I told her to alleviate her concern. "Eventually I'll wean myself back to a more normal hunting schedule."

"That seems reasonable," she said in agreement "but can I make one request?"

"Certainly, after all I am a quest in your home." She nodded thoughtfully at my easy aquiesnce. "Please hunt with one of us."

"Agreed," I didn't mention that I had already hunted by myself twice now. Her request was reasonable and I got the impression that they were all concerned that I may be attacked again if I was alone.

"Where is everyone?" I was curious where everyone had gone off to.

"Edward and the others are at school," she said "and Carlisle needed to return to the hospital." I mused at the thought of a vampire doctor. I was impressed with his ability to resist blood to the point he could work for a hospital.

"Alice got you some clothes of your own," she said motioning me to follow her "I moved them into the guest room."

She led me to a different room than the one where I had spent the night with Leah. A king size bed was against one wall. The room was sparsely decorated, a dresser sat near the doors I assumed to be a closet. Thankfully this room had its own bathroom.

"You can stay with us as long as you like," Esme said from behind me. I didn't know what to say, the kindness was overwhelming.

"Thank you." I turned and gave another smile of gratitude to Esme.

"I'll let you get settled and change," Esme said as she backed out of the room. I took in my surroundings when I was alone. The bed was large and was covered in a blue comforter and sheets, the pillows looked particularly comfortable. I walked over to the closet and opened it to find the clothes Alice had purchased for me hung up neatly. I thought she may have gone a bit overboard with the amount of clothes. The shirts were mostly dress shirts not something I normally wore outside of when I was still attending school. The slacks were mostly khaki and I found a lack of denim in the closet.

I moved to see what was in the dresser. The underwear drawer thankfully contained boxers instead of briefs. After inspecting the rest of the drawers I found one was for t-shirts in various light colors, while the others held jeans in different cuts and shades of blue. I chose a pair of boot cut jeans and a light grey t-shirt I also grabbed a pair of socks and boxers. In the very bottom drawer I found towels one of which I grabbed as I headed into the small bathroom.

Thankfully whoever had designed this room had taken into account the size and just installed an enclosed shower. Alice apparently had also purchased soap and shampoo. I took a shower and dried and dressed before choosing what I could only assume were designer boots. I was amazed that everything fit perfectly. Alice must have looked at what I was wearing when I had first arrived in order to get my sizes for the clothes. I blushed at the thought of her removing my clothing to do so. Looking around the room I wondered where my backpack had been stored as I wanted to move the contents to a drawer.

I found my wallet and other important items in the nightstand next to the bed. Also present was a cell phone with a note attached. I pulled of the note and read it.

_Thomas,_

_I saw you needing a cell phone so I took the liberty of getting one for you. It has all our numbers preprogrammed into it, along with Leah, Jacob, and Renesme's numbers. _

_Also I hope you like the clothes and you will thank me later and you really shouldn't have with the gift it was very thoughtful._

_Alice_

_P.S. _

_Bring flowers when you go over to Leah's for lunch. Trust me._

"Wow Alice must be psychic," I muse aloud. Esme's laugh at my statement confirmed my suspicion. I chuckled to myself as well and followed the instruction on the phone to activate my number. Leah's number was second on speed dial so held the '2' key until it dialed the number. Someone picked up on the second ring.

"Hello," a male voice on the other line asked.

"Is Leah there." A moment of silence from the unknown speaker followed my question.

"She just got in can I ask whose calling."

"My name is Thomas," I stated "I'm a friend of hers." More silence followed as if the person I was talking to was trying to figure out if he knew who I was.

"Oh Thomas," the voice took on an excited tone. "I'm her brother Seth."

I remember her saying something about a younger brother who had started phasing about the time she did.

"Hey Seth, I'm coming over for lunch and I need directions." He proceeded to provide them. I didn't need to write them down as I had perfect recall thanks to my vampire heritage. A thought occurred to me then.

"Seth do you know what kind of flowers are Leah's favorites." Hopefully he knew because I had not gotten a chance to ask her.

"Tulips I think, do you want me to ask her."

"No that's alright, I'll see you later." We bid each other good bye and hung up. I exited my room.

"Esme," I called out trying to locate her.

"In the living room" she replied. It was getting close to noon and I still needed to find a nearby florist so I could follow Alice's suggestion.

"Thank you for your hospitality," I started not sure how to ask to borrow a vehicle. "I really hate to impose further but I told Leah I would go to her place for lunch."

"Alice said that it was alright if you borrowed Jasper's motorcycle," she said drawing a confused look from me. "Alice is psychic."

I had already guessed this but to have it confirmed was nice. I nodded for a second before moving onto my next question. Again Alice had beaten me to the punch.

"She just called a moment ago and said there is a nice florist in La Push not far from Leah's house." I smiled as she handed me the keys to Jasper's motorcycle.

"Have a good time and say hello to Leah and Seth for me." I acknowledged her request and went out to the garage. Inside the cavernous garage looked like a car museum. All the vehicles looked amazing. The one that really caught my eye was the Aston Martin Vanquish. I had always preferred motorcycles to cars but if I had to choose a car I would probably pick a car like that. In the corner I saw two motorcycles one was a silver Harley Davidson Soft Tail, next to it was a BMW motorcycle it was also silver. I admired the sleek styling of the BMW, the look was similar to my lost Ducati which made me sigh at the loss of my motorcycle.

I mounted the BMW as the logo on the keys I held bore the same logo as the motorcycle. The garment bag hanging on the wall I was facing drew my attention. Another note was attached to it. I dismounted and approached the garment bag. The note only had my name on it. I opened the garment bag and found a black and blue riding jacket inside.

I was unused to this amount of generosity. First room I could call my own for as long as I cared to, then a massive wardrobe, the use of a vehicle without reservation. I made up my mind then and there if it took a lifetime I would find a way to repay the kindness I had been shown.

I put on the jacket and got on the motorcycle kicking it to life. I sped out of the garage and down the long driveway to the main road. Once I hit pavement I really sped up following the directions to La Push and Leah's house. I made a brief stop at the recommended florist, thanking any god that would care that it had tulips in stock.

Leah's home was small and looked cozy from the outside. I parked Jasper's motorcycle in their driveway. I was a little early but I figured that was fine. On the porch I took a moment to make sure I looked presentable and reached over to knock on the door.

**Links for pictures of mentioned motorcycles are in my profile.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I think this is my best chapter yet. It was one of my favorites to write any way.**

**Warning it gets a little steamy. **

**Thanks to all the people who review it gives me a warm fuzzy feeling.**

**Disclaimer: Thomas is the only character i have any claim on as i created him. **

**Everything else is Stephanie Meyer's i just borrow it.  
**

Chapter 11

Flowers

_Leah_

"Thomas," I called sleepily as I stretched. I blinked sleep from my eyes finally seeing him walking towards me. That was strange I remember falling asleep on his shoulder after we had talked. I sat up and looked around seeing we were still outside.

"Good morning," he said smiling as he came to sit beside me. When I finally looked at him I noticed his shirt was missing. I looked away and felt my face flush. I'd already seen him without a shirt mostly from the back. I never noticed the scars marring his sculpted abs and chest. I resisted the urge to shudder when I saw they were bite scars. His question brought me back to the current conversation.

"Does this bother you," he asked I could hear the amusement at my shyness and I looked up at him chuckling. "Can I have my shirt then?"

I realized I had his shirt and had been using it as a pillow. I handed it to him and looked up when it covered his head. I drank in the way his muscles moved in harmony even performing a simple task before looking away again.

"Where did you go?" I was curious where he had gone off to while I slept.

"I needed to hunt," he explained a frown creasing his features as he looked at the ground. "I didn't want to wake you"

I had hoped that we could eat breakfast and I could show him my place. He looked up through his eyelashes and I decided to voice my thoughts.

"Oh, I was hoping you would want to have breakfast at my place." Thomas seemed to think about it for a moment before he responded.

"I need to check in with the Cullens," he began, my face fell at his rejection of my offer, "but I would love to come to your place and have lunch."

A smile replaced my frown immediately he just needed to let the Cullens know he was alright. That was fine I needed some time to get ready and figure out what to cook him.

"That's perfect," I exclaimed, my excitement seemed to make him feel better about turning me down for breakfast. He looked at the perpetually overcast sky and seemed to calculate something.

"How does around one sound." I nodded my agreement and kept the excited smile on my face. We stood and looked at each other. I hoped that he would kiss me like he had the first time. He seemed to be torn with how to say goodbye. I tried to tell him with my eyes that a kiss was perfectly acceptable, the incident yesterday was the last thing on my mind.

He finally stepped closer to me. I tilted my face up to meet his lips as he placed a sweet and gentle kiss on my lips. The moment our lips touched shivers shot up and down my back. He stepped away and looked deep into my eyes. I smiled it was a kiss not the one I was hoping for but it was still very good.

"I'll see you later." He turned and disappeared like a ghost into the trees that surrounded us. The smile never left my face.

----------------

I phased to make it home faster. The forest became a green and brown blur as I ran towards home. Jared, Embry, Paul, and Jacob were running patrol. The kiss I had shared with Thomas was less than pleasant for them.

_Oh for the love of god, I have to see you kissing your imprints and I don't like it either. So deal with it. _ I snapped at them in my mind. That was never going to get easy. Since the last major crisis with the Volturi we'd only had a random nomad vampire to deal with. Everyone had gotten complacent patrolling out of habit more than necessity. As a result our minds tended to wander when we were wolves. The ones with imprints had precious little else on their minds and things slipped through.

_Leah is right we need to focus. _Jacob said he didn't use the Alpha voice, he rarely did or had to, despite his insecurities about leadership he was a natural leader. _Thanks Leah. _

_It's true Jake. _We all felt that way every pack member trusted Jake to do the right thing and so far he had never let us down.

_That's what happened. _Jake's mind roared at me when he saw why Thomas had run out two days ago. His anger was uncomfortable for all of us.

_Jake chill out bro._ Embry and Jared thought at the same time. Embry saw fit to expand on the thought. _It's not like Nessie never bites you._

_Nessie isn't venomous and his bite could have killed her. _I regretted letting him see that. I tried to explain but Jacob wasn't hearing any of it.

_I don't give a damn if he is your imprint if he hurts you his ass is mine._ The tension was getting unbearable. _I'm going to get Quil to take over for me so I can cool off._ Another good thing about Jacob is that he didn't like to cause the pack dis-comfort.

I was getting close to home, which always felt strange since mom had married Charlie Swan after dad had passed. She decided to move in with him and they were really happy together. Seth and I still missed her though we saw her every chance we got. We especially missed her cooking, Seth and I weren't the best in the kitchen. Seth snuck over to the Cullens' place a lot. Despite being a vampire and not eating normal food, Esme and Bella were both excellent cooks.

My house came into view through the trees. It looked a lot like the other houses on the reservation. I phased back as soon as I was at the back door making a bee-line for my room, not bothering to put my shorts and shirt on. Thankfully Seth was in the living room watching television and from the sound of it talking on the phone.

"Hello," he said. He must have just picked up. I went to my room still listening to Seth's end of the conversation.

"She just got in can I ask whose calling." A pause as the caller answered.

"Oh Thomas," Seth's tone became more interested. "I'm her brother Seth."

I grabbed my bathrobe and rushed out to the living room and just faintly heard Thomas ask a very strange question.

"Seth do you know what kind of flowers are Leah's favorites."

"Tulips I think, do you want me to ask her." I moved so he could see me and nodded emphatically to let him know he was correct. My very favorite flowers were roses but I liked tulips too.

"No that's alright, I'll see you later."

"Alright bye," Seth said as he hung up the phone. I was practically hopping up and down which was very out of character.

"Leah take a breath," Seth said looking disturbed by my excitement.

"You're not planning on wearing that are you?" I looked down at my old bathrobe and darted back to my room to pick out something to wear. My wardrobe was limited because to me it just did not make sense to have nice clothes when you were a werewolf that could change at a moment's notice. I chose one of my newer shirts and a khaki skirt I only wore on special occasions. I looked in my mirror and decided a shower was in order. The hot water helped to calm me. After the shower I ran a comb through my hair. It was too short to really do anything with, I had let it grow some, but I still kept it short enough that it wouldn't make me very shaggy in wolf form.

The kitchen was very bare. The only things I had were a jar of peanut butter, a gallon of milk and half a loaf of bread. We didn't even have anything frozen. I checked my watch.

"Shit," I cursed realizing it was noon. Thomas would be here in about an hour.

"Do you kiss our mother with that mouth," Seth teased from his place in the living room. I grabbed a plastic cup and leaned entry way of the kitchen so I could see his head. When I did I threw the cup so hard it broke when it made contact.

"What the hell was that for," he complained.

"That was for eating all the food."

"Hey I have help," he protested.

"Whatever, Thomas is coming for lunch and we have nothing to serve him."

"There should still be some stuff for P, B and J," he offered.

"Thanks Seth you are so helpful," I said sarcasm dripping in my tone. The sound of a motorcycle pulling into our driveway made Seth jump up to see who it was. I was hoping for Bella or Jasper but I knew they were still at school. Crap he was here. I needed to shoo Seth out but a knock at the door had him rushing to answer it. I already knew by his scent which I had caught as soon as he stepped to the door.

"Hey you must be Thomas," Seth said greeting him.

"That makes you Seth, I presume."

"Leah, Thomas is here," Seth yelled and I thought I would die of embarrassment. He yelled like I was on the other side of the state. I listened to their conversation as I tried to get a hold of myself. What was wrong with me I hadn't even acted like this when I first met Sam.

"So you're a hybrid like Ness?" Seth had heard all that in my mind while we were patrolling yesterday.

"Yeah, who is Ness," Thomas asked.

"She's Edward and Bella's daughter." I decided to make an appearance because all the deep breathing was not helping. My entrance made Thomas look at me and he stood when he did.

"Hey sis there you are." I barely heard Seth I only had eyes for Thomas. He was wearing what looked and smelled like new clothes. The riding jacket especially set off his blue eyes. His smile lit up his handsome face and I smiled in return. Seth looked between us for a moment before deciding that his mental health required a hasty retreat. I couldn't blame him all the other pack members that had imprints made me feel the same way before Thomas, now I understood.

"I'm going to the Cullens to see Esme," he said as he left. "Good to meet you Thomas." Thomas shook his head slightly as if to clear it.

"Yeah you too," he replied not breaking eye contact. Seth walked out the door shaking his head. I felt bad that he hadn't imprinted. One day hopefully he would understand. Thomas and I stared into each other's eyes for a long time not speaking. I finally broke the silence.

"We don't have much for lunch," I started and then condemned myself for saying something that sounded so silly.

"Whatever you have is fine." I smiled and went into the kitchen to fix some sandwiches. I hummed to myself as I grabbed the peanut butter and bread and jelly. His voice coming from behind me made me jump.

"Sorry I didn't mean to startle you." I turned to see him standing close to me. "Can I help?"

His scent filled my senses. It was musky and rich, I couldn't help it I dropped the jars I was holding and wrapped my arms around his neck. A small part of me wondered how he had gotten close enough for this. Also, why weren't his arms around me as well? I broke the kiss long enough to see he had caught the falling jars one in each hand.

"Fast hands," I mused as he placed the jars safely on the counter behind me before returning the embrace. I returned my lips to his as his arms wrapped around his waist.

Our lips moved in harmony as I tried to pull him closer. His tongue parted my lips and explored the inside of my mouth. I executed a little hop and wrapped my legs around his waist. He didn't even seem to notice the added waist. He carried me into the living room with ease and we collapsed onto the couch. He leaned back and I grabbed the front of his jacket and jerked it away from his shoulders. The removal of his hands from their exploration of my body made me frown. Thomas finished removing his jacket and cupped my face in both of his hands. Gently he brushed them down my arms to my hands that were unfastening his shirt buttons.

He took both my hands in his and kissed my finger tips. His hands slid gently back down my arms. My fingers tangled in his reddish blonde hair and I pulled my lips back to his deepening the kiss. His hands continued to brush against me, one of them trailed down my side and up the thigh that was still hitched around his hip. It brushed to my knee and then traced back down my bare leg leaving jolts of electricity in his fingertips passing.

I leaned my head back and sighed as he traced down the side of my neck with his tongue.

"I love you," I sighed which caused him to stop what he was doing and look into my eyes. Even though I had blurted it out I hoped he could see in my eyes that I meant it. His smile melted my heart and he brought his lips to mine again. He hadn't said anything in response but I got the impression that he felt the same way.

We continued to kiss and caress each other. I traced the scar on his shoulder after I removed his shirt. He had undone the buttons to my shirt and slid his hands underneath my shirt. I struggled for a moment to remove my shirt before he lifted me so I could more easily remove the garment.

More electricity followed the movements of his hands on my back.

"Thomas," I sighed again. A strange muffled buzzing noise was invading the moment. After a few minutes it disappeared. I chose to ignore it and focus on Thomas's body. My fingers trailed up and down his back just barely touching him.

"Leah," he groaned in pleasure. I smiled as he busied himself kissing my collar bone. The blaring of the house phone ringing made us both jump.

"Do you want to get that," he said breathlessly. I shook my head.

"It's probably just Seth checking in." He began to lean back into a kiss when his head snapped up and looked at the door. I was about to protest when the cold burning scent of vampire stink filled my nose. It was a scent I did not recognize but Thomas did as he whispered a name, "Goliath." As soon as the name left the front door to my house exploded inward. A vampire easily twice the size of Emmett shouldered his way in and turned his blood-red eyes to consider Thomas and me.

"There you are little murderer."

**A/N: Please review this chapter and let me know how it was. **


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Thanks to all the reviewers. **

**Please continue to review after reading.**

Chapter 12

Hero

_Edward_

High School had been particularly boring today. It was good that there were only a few months left before summer break. I was grateful that the day was over. Bella walked beside me to my silver Volvo. Her beauty captivated me as it always had even when she was human. She met my gaze and let her mental shield down and showed me that she wanted to spend some 'quality' time with me.

"Not until your homework is done," I teased, she was just as smart as I was and would be done quickly. I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her into me as I kissed her passionately. The thoughts of the human children who saw us made me smile while kissing her.

"Virgin eyes Edward," she breathed as she pulled away. I released my grip on her waist and settled for holding her hand. Alice and Jasper were waiting at the car for us. Jasper just shook his head at the lust Bella and I was no doubt saturating his senses with. Out of respect I did my best to control my emotions.

_Get a room you two. You're almost as bad as hormonal teenagers. _ I shrugged at him and he merely shook his head again. Bella looked between us and smiled mischievously.

"Sorry Jasper, I can't help it sometimes," she said still holding her smile.

"Just try to control yourselves on the way home," he said slowly smiling. Rose and Emmett had ditched earlier to go hunting they claimed. However being a mind reader I saw the actual purpose and knew they were heading to their house with anything but hunting in mind. We all gracefully got in the car and I drove at my usual speed home.

Alice stiffened as we entered the house after arriving home. I picked the blurry images of Leah and Thomas in trouble. They were being attacked by vampires at Leah's house in La Push.

"Alice what do you see," Jasper asked concerned. Bella looked at me and asked the same question with her eyes, knowing I had already seen Alice's vision in her mind.

"What is it," Seth asked seeing us and our tension his perpetual smile faded.

"Thomas and Leah," Alice and I spoke at the same time.

"Bella call Emmett and Rosalie," I said taking the lead. "Seth phase and alert the rest of the pack." Bella pulled her cell phone out as Seth was heading for the back door shaking all the way. A ripping sound was followed by his urgent howl. Another howl farther away answered his call.

"I told Emmett and Rose to meet us at Leah's as soon as possible," Bella informed me.

"Good we need to get there now." We were all out of the house running as fast as we could when another vision invaded my thoughts.

"He's trying to fight them." We all sped up hoping we wouldn't be too late.

------------

_Thomas_

I was frozen in place looking in horror at the gigantic vampire before me. How had he found me, why now and where did this bastard get off calling me a murderer. The danger to Leah broke my paralysis and I launched myself at Goliath. The foolishness of that attack was made crystal clear. He didn't even budge, he just chuckled and brought his boulder sized fist crashing on to my shoulder. I grunted as my shoulder dislocated. I cried out as he grabbed both my shoulders and swung me to smash me through the doorframe. I flew through the air and rolled popping my shoulder painfully back into its socket. Leah's cry made him turn and regard her.

"Don't worry pretty we'll get to you." A snarl ripped from my chest, which drew his gaze back to me.

"Aww, the little half-breed wants to protect his bitch," his words and attitude drove me insane with anger. I lunged forward again but a foot connected with my jaw from the side. Pain threatened to make me pass out. A lithe female vampire giggled at me as I tried to get back to my feet.

"This is going to be ever so much fun," she sang in a high pitch voice. She crouched and sprang at me. My hand shot forward palm out to hopefully drive her jawbone into her brain, it wouldn't kill her but it would stun her for at least ten minutes. Instead of that her forward motion was halted and reversed with such force that she crashed into the trees. I grabbed the fork of Jasper's motorcycle and swung it into the vampire sneaking up behind me. It smashed into him and followed it with a kick that sent him sprawling.

On instinct I swung the motorcycle over my head at the charging Goliath. It barely slowed him as he shrugged off the blow like I had hit him with my fist. His back hand caught me in the side of the head leaving no doubt that my jaw was now broken. His fist smashed into my belly doubling me over and dropping me to my knees. His massive hands curled into fists as they rose above his head. They fell on each side of my neck with the force of falling anvils. Both collarbones broke under the blow.

A vicious snarling made him turn his head to see what was behind him. Leah's leap at his throat was intercepted by a vicious blow that sent her crashing off to the side.

I looked at Leah's limp form and rage burned in my eyes and pain muted to nothingness. The horrifying image burned into my memory.

"He thought you would give me trouble," Goliath sneered at me "I'm very disappointed." He roared laughter and raised his hands to crush me into oblivion. His hands rocketed towards me only to be stopped a foot from head. Goliath's grin disappeared as he struggled to move his hands that seemed to be trapped in thin air. He tried to shrink back from my gaze as I turned my head to look at him.

"You are going to die," was all I said. There were suddenly horse sized wolves everywhere. Goliath look of terror deepened when Emmett and Rosalie appeared behind me.

My telekinetic hold on him vanished as more pain broke my concentration. Goliath took that as his queue to leave and leaped into the trees. Some of the wolves and Emmett took up pursuit.

I didn't care I turned and saw Leah was still lying limply not far away. Ignoring the searing agony movement caused I dragged myself over to her still form. I laid my head on her light grey fur covered chest and breathed a sigh of relief when I heard her heart beat and felt the rise and fall of her breathing.

"Carlisle he's hurt," a musical voice called. I didn't care all that mattered was that Leah was alive. I tried to lean my head deeper into her shoulder.

"I love you too." I blacked out as strong cold hands lifted me from where I was lying.

-----------------

My body ached when I had finally awakened. I could feel the bones that had been broken, they were healing properly. Any movement on my part caused waves of nausea and pain. I turned my head as gingerly as possible that at least did not make me want to pass out again.

I was in a hospital style bed in my room at the Cullen's house. Carlisle entered the room having most likely heard my movements. He looked me over and was about to ask how I was feeling, but I cut him off with a question of my own.

"Is Leah alright," I asked as I tried to sit up. Carlisle was at my side in a flash. His hand gently but firmly pushing me flat, I didn't struggle mostly due to the dizziness the movement had caused.

"Leah is fine she's been sleeping in here at night." I relaxed knowing she was fine. "She is eating something in the kitchen."

"Thank you again," I said quietly. This was the second time I had to have my sorry butt saved. My father would have been disappointed, he'd taught me to fight better than I had. I apparently needed more instruction. Thoughts of instruction brought up another kind if training I needed to begin as soon as I was fit.

"I'll bring you some blood," He said and disappeared out of the room. He returned a moment later with a covered cup and straw. I grimaced as he adjusted so it would allow me to sit up. As I was drinking the provided blood Edward, Emmett and Jasper entered the room. Emmett was the only one with an amused expression.

"Tommy boy you got balls, I'll give you that," he exclaimed with a chuckle. I laughed to even though it brought on a grimace of pain. I decided to say something witty.

"You know what they say," I said around my discomfort. "The bigger they are…"

"The more bones they break," everyone's eyes widened at Carlisle who had finished. "What I'm not allowed to make jokes?" Emmett roared his booming laugh and everyone followed suit, even me though mine changed to a gasp of pain from the movement.

"Ow, don't make me laugh." Edward calmed himself and looked like he had questions. I answered before he could ask.

"I knew who that was," I began to explain Edward saw the words in my mind before I spoke them though and a look of horror crossed his features. I told them everything that had brought me to them. They just nodded at appropriate moments. Jacob walked in as I was explaining and waited for me to finish. The look on his face as he stared at me gave me the distinct impression of dislike. After I finished he spoke to Edward and the others in the room.

"The big one got away," he stated simply. "Collin and Brady took the other male and Seth incapacitated the female."

"Good I want to question her and see if I can get some answers." The look in Edward's eyes frightened me a little. Leah stuck her head into the door way and flew to my side when she saw I was awake.

"Are you alright," she asked. Her beautiful eyes were concerned for my well being.

"I'll be fine, I'm just a little sore." Carlisle chose to expand on my answer.

"His collar bones and rib and jaw have knitted back together nicely," he explained becoming Doctor Carlisle as he continued. "His internal bruises are almost healed as well. He's healing quickly so it shouldn't be long."

"Just do me a favor and stay in bed." I nodded at his request and he shooed all but Leah from the room. That was probably a very good idea. I waited until I heard his footsteps go up the stairs.

"Okay help me to the bathroom," I whispered to Leah. Thankfully she didn't give me any 'you should listen to Carlisle' arguments she just helped me swing my feet over the side of the bed and steadied me as I made my way over to the bathroom. I stopped in front of the mirror and saw the angry purple bruises on my jay and torso.

"They looked a lot worse a couple of days ago," Leah whispered to me. I brushed my teeth and took care of some necessary business which I made Leah turn her back while I did. That taken care of I leaned on her as she led me back to the hospital bed.

"No take me to my bed that one is uncomfortable," she redirected our path and helped me lie down on the soft king size bed. She lifted my torso and set a couple of pillows behind my head. Gently she lay me back down and curled into my side. I wrapped my arm around her enjoying the way the heat from her body relaxed my sore muscles. Absently I ran my hand up and down her back.

"Did you mean what you said before?" She looked confused for a moment then it registered what I was talking about. I felt her body stiffen beside me. I looked down to meet her eyes and saw that she was nervous to answer so she asked a question of her own.

"Would it bother you if I did?" I was shocked that she would consider it. I kissed the top of her head.

"No it wouldn't and doesn't," I said before I whispered, "I love you too."

I placed another kiss on top of her head and felt all the tension drain out of her. I couldn't see her face but I was sure she was smiling like I was. We lay like that for hours before I noticed Leah's rhythmic breathing and realized that she was asleep. I smiled for a moment before I realized that they were going to come for me eventually. I needed to prepare myself for that day.

I looked over at my dresser and focused on the bag sitting on top. It shivered as I focused harder and willed it to rise in the air. To my satisfaction it did a fraction of an inch before weariness overcame me. I smiled internally, I just need lots of practice.

"I'll be able to protect you when they come back." I let my breathing slow to match Leah's and drifted off to sleep in moments.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Sorry this update took so long I have been battling massive writers block and toying with some new story ideas.**

**Thanks for all your reviews and support keep it coming.**

**Thomas is mine, Everything else belongs to Stephanie Meyer  
**

Chapter 13

Teeth

_Leah_

Thomas looked so peaceful asleep. I smiled a little this was the first time I had woken up before him. He stirred and winced but did not open his eyes. His lips started to move and I heard tiny whispers. "…I'm sorry…I tried…No…"

"Thomas," I whispered shaking him as gently as possible. His bruises looked completely gone except for the one his stomach that was fading to yellow and brown. "Thomas please wake up."

His eyes snapped open and he looked around confused before he relaxed, realizing he was safe. He turned his blue eyes to me wrapped his arms around me. His eyes had a scared and hurt look in them that made me afraid. I felt hi whispering something over my shoulder. It sounded like he was repeating 'it was just a dream' over and over again.

"Did you have a nightmare," I asked worry filling my voice. "Do you want to tell me about it?"

"No," he said quietly. This made me angry how were we supposed to have a relationship if we couldn't talk to each other. I took a breath before I spoke I didn't want to start a fight if I could avoid it.

"Why don't you tell me it might make you feel better?" He released me from his embrace and flowed to his feet. He walked towards the bathroom saying something over his shoulder that was like an ice pick in the heart.

"Just leave, I need to be alone for a while," his voice was so cold and devoid of the warmth I was used to that I felt tears well up in my eyes. Before I could respond he walked into the bathroom and closed the door quietly. I just sat there a look of shock on his face. I thought I'd heard correctly last night, he'd said he loved me too. Maybe he was regretting saying it so soon. An unbidden sob escaped me as I stood and dressed quickly. I walked to the bathroom door and leaned my head against it.

"I love you Thomas," I turned and walked to the door to exit his room and give him the alone time he needed.

"Wait," I heard a soft call from behind me. I whirled to see him standing in the bathroom door before he was wrapping his arms around me and hugging me like he wouldn't ever let me go. "I'm so sorry."

-------------

_Thomas_

The tears were streaming down my face. I hadn't cried when my parents died, the tears had been there but I didn't let them fall. The dream I had just had came flashing back in my mind and I cringed. Leah had asked me about it and I couldn't talk about it because if I did I would probably break down and Leah really didn't need to see my like that.

I loved her though and she loved me. It was all so fast. I didn't really have a reference point for budding relationships and when I'd heard her say it, my heart had swelled with joy. Instead of saying it then I had said it two days later. I had meant it and I really did love her so much.

"I love you Thomas," came Leah's whisper through the door which I heard with my sensitive ears. That did it, I turned and pulled the bathroom door open. She was just about to open the bedroom door and leave.

"Wait," I called softly. She stopped and turned to face me and I saw the tears in her eyes. Without another word I was across the room and holding her like she would disappear if I let her go. "I'm so sorry."

I led her over to the bed and sat her down before I went down on both knees. I would tell her all about my dream and if I broke down then I would break down in front of her. She wouldn't be in pain because I wanted to wallow in my own pain by myself. I met her eyes and refused to look away as I spoke.

"I was home and there was a thick fog surrounding my house," I said quietly. "I could see two shadows moving around the fog."

I took a deep breath before I told her the next part. So far she only looked concerned for me and it made this as easy as telling someone you love something like this.

"My parents voices started to come out of the fog," I shuddered and Leah put her hands on my shoulder. "They were asking why I didn't save them."

Fresh tears started to form in my eyes and Leah pulled me up onto the bed as she slid back so she could lean against the wall. I curled up into a ball let myself cry for the first time well ever now that I thought about it. I had never had a reason to cry before now. The floodgates had opened though and I just lay there and let it all out. I don't know how long I laid there before Leah finally said something.

"It wasn't your fault," she soothed brushing my hair back from my forehead. I just lay there and allowed her to comfort me. She ran her hand over my shoulders and the contact made me feel better. Her kisses in my hair soothed me.

"Thank you." The tears had stopped and I felt so much better than I had before now. I wasn't back to how I had been but I was getting there. I shifted so I was kneeling beside Leah.

I reached my hands up and cupped the sides of her face. Very slowly I leaned in until our lips touched. I kissed her gently trying to convey how much she meant to me through said kiss. I slid a hand onto the small of her back and pulled her on top of me as I lay back on the bed. Her lips moved down the side of my neck to the scar on my shoulder which she traced with her tongue. I groaned with pleasure as her hands brushed over my skin.

My fingertips brushed down her back to her waist and I pulled her closer. Our lips met again and moved in harmony. Leah's lips parted for my tongue which I used to urge hers forward. She willingly obliged, I sat up so she was in my lap breaking our kiss to trace more along her jaw to her ear. Her arms wrapped around my neck as I ran the tip of my tongue down her neck to her collar bone. I found the shirt she was wearing annoying and bothersome as it blocked access her curves.

Not really in any mood for subtlety I grabbed the shirt collar and in one tug ripped a line down the front of it. The immediate exposure caused Leah's eyes to snap to mine. Her expression brought a confused expression to my face.

"I'm sorry, did you really like that shirt," I asked. A slow smile crossed her face as she leaned in and whispered in my ear.

"You didn't get it all." I followed her gaze and saw the offending hem that had not given in to my strength. Leah's lips came back to mine for another passionate kiss. I broke away and reached down to grab the hem and brought it up between us.

"We can't have that now can, we." Her eyes never leaving mine I ripped the last of the fabric and removed the ruined shirt and tossed it away. The sight of Leah completely naked save for a pair of panties she had been wearing made me groan again. Her hands pushed gently on my chest and I leaned back into the bed.

Leah's mischievous grin made me shudder with pleasure. Her legs created a delicious friction as she shimmied along my legs and kissing her way down my chest teasing one of my nipples with teeth and tongue. Soft moans escaped my lips at the exquisite torture.

Leah's slender fingers slipped around the waistband of my sleep pants and tugged gently down my legs kissing the skin as it was exposed. I looked up to see her kneeling around my shins gazing hungrily at me.

"See something you like," I teased my voice deepened with desire. Her grin turned more mischievous, if that was possible, and she nodded her response. "So do I, and it's too far away."

Apparently I wasn't done being tortured. Her fingers softly tickled the skin on my legs and thighs as she worked her way back up my body. Stopping at my erection and sending a warm breath that had me groaning loudly. At this point I could care less that there were others in the house. They were all adults and I assumed had at one point or another had sex with their mates. Leah's return to my lap brought me back to the moment.

Emboldened by her maneuvers my hands caressed her thighs and gently brushed her center, Eliciting more sighs and moans to escape her lips. My hand continued roaming up her torso until it cupped one of her perfect breasts. Kneading gently I returned to a sitting position and took her hardening nipple into my mouth and teased it with my tongue before applying gentle pressure with my teeth. A small part of my mind was mumbling something about venom and teeth. I ignored the voice.

"Thomas," Leah sighed leaning her head forward to nibble at my ear and neck. Wanting to reciprocate her neck nibbling and hear her reactions. Pulling her more securely in to my lap I nuzzled the column of her neck. Gently I started grazing my teeth along her neck enjoying the noises she was continuing to make. She stiffened immediately when my teeth sank into her shoulder, then she screamed.


End file.
